WINSTON-SALEM (November 6, 2025) – Especially when they come from low-income families or their parents have never been to college, some students need a little extra attention and encouragement to get ready for college.
“Our College Lift program is really special and it’s really unique,” Dr. Janet Spriggs, President of Forsyth Technical Community College, says in the accompanying video.
The nationally recognized program aims to help students from low-income, first-generation backgrounds “actually see themselves as being ready for college and to help make sure that they are in fact ready for college and they have the opportunity to go to college after they graduate from high school,” Spriggs says.
It requires quite a commitment from both the students and their families. Starting in 6th grade, the program requires students to commit to additional instruction at Forsyth Tech for 21 Saturdays a year – and their parents to commit to 15 Saturdays as well.1
“These amazing students are committing to 21 Saturdays … each academic year,” Spriggs says. “I can’t imagine doing that when I was in 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th grade. It just seems beyond what you would expect most teenagers to want to do.”
The college partners with Forsyth County schools to try to coordinate with instruction the students receive in their weekday classes. They receive additional help in English, social studies, math and science.
“It’s complementing and helping them do better with those subjects,” Spriggs says.
“THE PARENTS also commit, which is remarkable. Because we also know that if you haven’t been to college, it’s hard for you to teach your young person how to go to college and what they need to do to prepare,” she says.
During the 15 Saturdays a year they come to Forsyth Tech, the parents get tips on how to encourage their students, help them study, and help with college applications.
“But we also recognize that many of those parents are unemployed and under-employed,” Spriggs says. So the parents are offered advice on training opportunities and how to navigate a job search.
The students get tutoring, access to Forsyth Tech’s food pantries and mental-health services.
“So it’s not just the extra learning on Saturday – it’s a host of wraparound support services throughout the entire matriculation for them through the 12th grade,” Spriggs says.
“THE WONDERFUL CARROT,” as Spriggs puts it, is that every student who completes College Lift and graduates from high school is offered a college scholarship.
Forsyth Tech offers 25 scholarships; UNC Greensboro offers 20. Forsyth Tech also partners with Salem College and UNC Chapel Hill, and it is working with Winston-Salem State and other institutions to arrange more.
College Lift graduated its first class last year with 11 students, and this year. Second class with 17.
“Except for two or three of those from those two classes that decided to join the military, all of them chose college and are enrolled in college and moving forward to get their degrees,” Spriggs says.
“So we feel like that’s a 100% success rate and we’re really thrilled about it, and we have now over 300 students in the College Lift program,” she says.
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