Nearly half of all college students nationwide say they struggle to pay utilities or rent while also managing medical, grocery, and transportation bills. For many, a lack of housing will eventually force them to drop out of school altogether.

Oscar Godinez-Avila is no stranger to these challenges. A fifth-year senior at Colorado State University, Godinez-Avila spent years sleeping on a roll-out mat at friends' apartments and using sinks on campus to clean up. Today, thanks to a new housing initiative at his school, he finally has a space of his own—along with a renewed sense of purpose to pursue his college dreams.

Declining student populations have plagued the higher ed sector in recent years, and college enrollment has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, colleges are preparing for an expected drop-off in high school graduates beginning next year due to declining birth rates. 

Now, the sector is grappling with its latest hurdle—a cohort of high schoolers who are increasingly missing benchmarks that signify college readiness.

When Jorge Alaves looks around Room 110 at Lindblom Math and Science Academy, he sees 36 versions of his teenage self: Latino boys with a lot of potential at a high school full of high-achieving students trying to figure out how to be successful after graduation.

“Lindblom Colegio,” a peer mentoring and postsecondary planning group for Latino boys, aims to give them the support and guidance to make the process easier. Alaves, one of the program's five counselors, launched the group about six years ago after noticing that Latino boys at the high school were less likely to apply to college.