News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2013 Lula L. Baker, Publicity (912)

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1 News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2013 CONTACT: Lula L. Baker, Publicity (912) Event: MEGAGENESIS VII - SAVANNAH Date: February 23, 2013 Time: 9:00 A.M. - 3:10P.M. Location: Sol C. Johnson High School Local Sponsors: Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools Chatham County Youth Commission, The 100 Black Men of Savannah, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. *For additional information or registration, please call Zke Zimmerman at (912) or (912) Or visit us online at: Or see us on facebook. 1

2 TV/RADIO/NEWSPAPER ANNOUNCEMENT Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, Chatham County Youth Commission, The 100 Black Men of Savannah and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Are sponsoring MEGAGENESIS VII - SAVANNAH Excel in High School; Go to College Featuring College Recruiters Career Workshops Corporate Exhibits Over 30 Universities and Over 50 Career Workshops Colleges include: Armstrong, Auburn, Clark-Atlanta University, Georgia State University, South Carolina State University, Georgia Southern, Savannah State, and many, many more Lunch (Provided for all attendees no cost) ********** Guest Speaker: Ms. Yvonne Williams Nationally acclaimed Motivational Speaker; TV Personality Known in the Savannah Area for her work with The Student Leadership Program ********** LOCATION: Sol C. Johnson High School DATE: February 23, 2013 TIME: 9:00 a.m. 3:10 p.m. All Students (Grades 5-12) (Public and Private) are Invited. PARENTS ALSO NEED TO ATTEND High School seniors bring your transcripts. Some colleges will do on-site admission or scholarship offers For additional information or registration call Zke Zimmerman at or Or go online to: Or see us on facebook 2

3 MEGAGENESIS VII - SAVANNAH What is MEGAGENESIS? MEGAGENESIS is a program designed to promote a college-going culture by providing college and career information to all students and parents. MEGAGENESIS was founded in 1995 in Newport News, Virginia by Zke Zimmerman, who is currently an Assistant Principal at Windsor Forest High School. Zimmerman began the program in Savannah on Saturday, February 24, 2007, at Johnson High School. A survey of the audience found students from Savannah, Effingham, Vidalia, Charleston SC, and Orangeburg SC. There were 417 attendees of whom approximately 90 were parents and chaperons. The first MEGAGENESIS in Savannah showcased 34 colleges and universities in the college fair segment. Students learned about the rigorous requirements to gain enrollment at the military academies. They learned what types of majors are offered at Yale University. Joining Savannah State, Armstrong and Savannah Tech were colleges from the north, south, central, and western parts of Georgia. The University of South Carolina and 4 other schools from the state of South Carolina participated. Likewise, seven schools from Florida were represented. Some of the more distant universities included Yale, West Point, Cornell, University of Cincinnati, Bucknell, Auburn, and Hampton. MEGAGENESIS Founded in 1995 in Newport News, Virginia by Zke Zimmerman. MEGAGENESIS celebrated 16 years in 2011 in Newport News. During the 17 years, over 32,000 students and parents have attended in Virginia. MEGAGENESIS initiated in Savannah in 2007 by Zke Zimmerman. In 6 years over 4200 students and parents have attended. The growth of the program in Savannah has gone from 335 in 2007 to over 1000 in There are seven segments in the program: o College Fair: Over 30 colleges and universities participate o Corporate Exhibits: Objective is to familiarize students with opportunities in large businesses for college graduates. Participants include: Georgia Power, SCCPSS, WellsFargo Bank, Arizona Chemical Company, US Army Corps of Engineers 3

4 o Motivational Speaker: A nationally recognized motivational speaker to talk about the importance of a college education. Previous MEGAGENESIS speakers included Dr. Calvin Mackie, Dr. Dennis Kimbro and Attorney Willie Gary. This year s speaker is Dr. Otis Johnson, former Mayor of Savannah o Career Workshops: Workshops are conducted by practicing professionals In 2011, 53 different professionals conducted workshops Some of the 53 professions included banking, chemical engineering, architectural engineering,, ophthalmology, orthopedics, vascular surgery,, and many, many others. o Parent Workshops Panel of College Admissions Officers A panel of 4 to 5 admissions officers including an HBCU, a large university, a single gender university, a private university, and a state supported university. This panel is for parents and runs concurrently with the Career Workshops Presentation by the Georgia Student Finance Commission A discussion for parents on the Hope Scholarship and other grants and scholarships in Georgia. The value of GA College 411 is also presented in this session A presentation on by the College Board on SAT and ACT A money management segment of parents Lunch is provided free to all attendee participants and presenters. Some additional benefits from MEGAGENESIS in Savannah o In 2012, 2 students received scholarships via college contacts made at MEGAGENESIS. o In 2011, 7 students through inspiration and information from MEGAGENESIS received over $1.7 million dollars in scholarships. o In 2010, 4 students made their initial contact with 4 colleges which resulted in over $400K in scholarships. o In 2009, one student received a scholarship from his MEGAGENESIS contact. o In 2009, several students were approved for admission to several of the attending universities. 4

5 o In 2008, one student interested in Veterinary Medicine - got an internship with a Veterinarian as a result of attending the workshop at MEGAGENESIS. The vision for MEGAGENESIS Savannah o Continue the annual event on the 4 th Saturday in February each year. o Grow the number of participants to over 2500 each year. o College fair with 60 or more colleges and universities o Career workshops with over 60 professions o Continuous increases in the number of students becoming aware of previously unknown universities and receiving scholarships o Continuous increases in the number of students receiving internships or mentoring from practicing professionals o Providing scholarships for 5 to 10 students who have demonstrated determination but not qualified for regular scholarships. 5