Yaniel Sargeant, MSW ’13, Prepares K-12 Students for College Access and Success

Yaniel Sargeant supported her interest in urban education with a thorough grounding in social work. Her MSW taught her to understand issues from a systemic perspective, to advocate for students, and to implement new evidence-based programs.

After a successful foundation practicum at a local charter school, Yaniel discovered College Bound St. Louis. The organization works to end the cycle of generational poverty by promoting college access and success.

“Thanks to the flexibility of the Brown School program, I was able to affiliate College Bound as an approved field site and pursue a very meaningful practicum there,” she said.

Having taken coursework about developing and implementing programs, Yaniel focused her efforts on developing a new internship program at College Bound.

“My ultimate career goal is to provide a program that not only gets students through college but also that career piece afterwards,” she said. “Internships are a crucial way to do that. I presented the organization with an actual book of all the research about what the program should look like.”

As internship coordinator at College Bound she was able to interview 20 students and help place them into internships that summer.

Her experiences prepared her to excel after graduation. She began as the facilitator of educational equity in the Rockwood School District, promoting college readiness among middle and high school students.

Now, as a community college advisor through American Honors, she supports students in their crucial first two years as they prepare to transfer to four-year institutions.