May Community Partner Spotlight: Crosby Scholars

Each month, the Office of Civic & Community Engagement (OCCE) profiles a community partner and its relationship with Wake Forest University. For the month of May, the OCCE is proud to feature Barbara Masi, Director of College Access at Crosby Scholars.

Crosby Scholars helps students in public middle and high schools throughout Forsyth County prepare academically, personally and financially for college admission and other post-secondary opportunities best suited to a student’s needs, aptitudes and dreams.

You can learn more about Crosby Scholars by visiting their website.

Barbara Masi, Director of College Access at Crosby Scholars

Could you explain the origin of Crosby Scholars, and how it impacts the Winston-Salem community?

The Crosby Scholars Program came out of a conversation at the Crosby National Celebrity Golf Tournament. Once the tournament had been moved to the Bermuda Run Country Club in 1986, it raised $9 million in its first six years of play there, half of which went to organizations involved in drug abuse, education and prevention. It was at that time that a few people involved with the tournament felt that there should be a specific program that could become a legacy in the local community. Crosby Scholars was born from that idea, and was formally announced in November 1992 as a way to provide local students resources to go to college and keep a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle. 

Crosby Scholars has a simple mission: to assure every qualified high school graduate in Forsyth County an opportunity to pursue some form of higher education.

In 28 years, the program has expanded from serving twelfth graders at two local high schools to serving sixth-through-twelfth graders across all the public middle and high schools throughout Forsyth County. Scholars and their families receive support with college admissions, the financial aid process, as well as identifying available scholarships and grants for their education. 

In addition to the more than $8.2 million in last dollar grants the program has awarded since 1993, Crosby scholars have benefited from an additional $75.2 million in financial aid that has been leveraged throughout the program. Every year, approximately 1,200 Crosby Scholars are sent to colleges and universities across the country, leading to a more educated workforce and a strong college-going culture.

How does the partnership with Wake Forest help Crosby Scholars?

Crosby Scholars has always had a strong partnership with Wake Forest University. When I joined the program in 1997, Bill Sterling was the Director of Admissions at the University, and would host workshops for our scholars. We’ve also had support from the Wake Forest financial aid office from Bill Wells and Neville Watkins, as well as Paul Gauthier, who serves on our financial aid committee and keeps us up to date on current trends. Together, they have helped to establish the Wake Forest University/Crosby Scholars Scholarship, which awards an annual $2,000 scholarship to graduating Crosby Scholar seniors who attend Wake Forest.

In addition, Dr. Debbie Best, the William L. Poteat Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest, served on the board for Crosby Scholars. Through her work on the board, she chaired our scholarships committee, helping to build both our criteria and review processes for scholarships. We are looking forward to working with our new board member and Program Committee member Omari Simmons, the Howard L. Oleck Professor of Business Law and Director of Business Law Program.

The relationship with Wake Forest has continued to grow in recent years, as we have had the opportunity to host VISTA members through the Winston Salem Community Action Coalition and summer interns through the Summer Nonprofit Immersion Program (SNIP), with the Office of Civic & Community Engagement. Both our VISTA members and summer interns are an invaluable resource to the team, as they have helped Crosby Scholars increase the services it’s able to provide to our scholars.

If you had 30 seconds to tell someone about Crosby Scholars, what would you want them to know?

Every Crosby Scholar graduates from high school and 98% enroll in college. All of the services we provide to prepare our scholars for the college application and enrollment processes are free of charge. All Forsyth County public school students of all academic profiles should join the program if they want to pursue some form of education beyond high school.

How can people get involved with Crosby Scholars?

Crosby Scholars accepts donations in many ways including one-time donations, named scholarships, planned giving and in-kind donations. Folks can learn more by visiting the donation page on our website. 

We are also looking for community partners to connect with our students. As part of the program, Scholars are required to complete community service. Through that process students are not only connected with the service activity they will be completing, but with the organization they are working with as a whole. Our goal is to instill the importance of giving back to the community, and we are always looking for additional partners for our students.

In addition, Crosby Scholars welcomes various forms of volunteering. Particularly for members of the community who have experience in college counseling or college admissions who are interested in getting involved with Crosby Scholars as a volunteer advisor for junior and senior scholars. Those interested in volunteering can contact Crosby Scholars at 336-725-5371 or info@crosbyscholars.org.