They Were Already Waiting

They Were Already Waiting

How Attollo and the Warwick Education Foundation Are Changing What’s Possible for Warwick Students

At 5:30 in the morning, the student parking lot at Warwick High School fills up.

These students don’t have to be there; they choose to be.

Inside, music is already playing. Familiar faces are waiting. This is the start of something special.

This is Attollo. Warwick School District has partnered with the program since 2021, starting with 12 students. This year, it’s 37, and students are already asking about next year before the application period opens. Nobody made them do that.

What Attollo Actually Is

Attollo is a college access and leadership program serving students across 12 Lancaster County school districts. Their mission is to support success-oriented students from diverse backgrounds in their pursuit of academic achievement, self-empowerment, and social engagement.

Dr. Kristy Szobocsan, Principal of Warwick High School, heard about Attollo from other school district principals. “They were seeing significant benefits for their students, and I wanted to bring that opportunity to Warwick.”

That’s where the Warwick Education Foundation enters. To allow for student participation, the Ed Foundation became the primary funding source.

“When we learned what Attollo was doing for students in other districts, we knew this was exactly the kind of investment we’d like to make. These are Warwick kids with real potential, and Attollo gives them access to something this transformative.”

– Barb Mobley, Executive Director, Warwick Education Foundation

Who This Is Really For

Leo Silva, Attollo’s CEO, explains, “Attollo is designed for students who aren’t sure what comes next. They may be first-generation students, students from low-income households, students of color, students who have never visited a college campus, or watched someone in their family navigate a financial aid package. But also, students who are looking for something harder than what the school day offers. Students who want to be challenged and are waiting for someone to reach out.”

What happens once students are in the program is hard to capture on paper. Beimnet Getahun, Attollo’s Chief Programs Officer, describes a transformation that builds slowly, then becomes impossible to miss. Grades improve. Attendance improves. Students who couldn’t make it to school by 7:30 find a way to show up at 5:30 for something they actually care about.

“The goal is that we’re not only influencing the 30-ish students in each cohort,” said Getahun, “but that they’re taking what they’re learning to their peer groups and influencing the school as a whole.”

What Showing Up Looks Like at Warwick

Aryella Montalvo

Aryella is a junior at Warwick. She’s also a dancer, which means some nights she’s finishing rehearsal at 9 PM. She still made every 5:30 AM session. Some mornings, she picked up friends on the way.

Her older sister went through Attollo before her. “She is one of my biggest inspirations,” Aryella said. Now, Aryella is in the pre-law exploratory program, learning about bar exams and LSATs that are reshaping how seriously she thinks about reading. More than career clarity, though, is what she found out about herself. “I’m someone who struggles with a lot of stress. But something I discovered through this experience is perseverance.”

That’s a lesson that stretches well beyond any classroom.

Julia Velez

Julia is a senior who came to Attollo in search of something better.  High school had been a struggle, and she found herself in the wrong circles. Attollo gave her a new environment, new people, and a different lens for her future.

“I really didn’t think I would be able to go on to bigger things and see outside of high school,” Julia said. “Attollo changed all of that.”

Her trajectory, Leo notes, isn’t success despite a hard start — it’s success because someone showed up for her when it mattered. After graduation, she plans to study psychology and become a school counselor.

She’ll be the adult she needed at 17.

Melissa Armer, parent

The students feel it. So do the parents watching them grow.

Melissa Armer’s family didn’t know much about Attollo until her daughter, Zephyr, was nominated. Once they looked into it, the decision was easy. “We collectively agreed it looked like an amazing opportunity.”

What followed surprised them. The 5:30 AM mornings turned out to be the easiest part. “She genuinely looked forward to it. There wasn’t one time she didn’t want to come or needed extra encouragement to get there on time.”

The changes Melissa noticed went deeper than the early morning commitment. “She seemed more confident, and she’s meeting new people and getting out of her comfort zone.” For Zephyr, who wasn’t involved in sports or school activities, Attollo became something she hadn’t had before: a community she was proud to belong to.

“Without Attollo, she wouldn’t be part of a group at all,” Melissa said. “They will give your child opportunities far beyond what you could imagine. I guarantee you will notice the positive change as their confidence grows.”

What’s at Stake

Last year, a Warwick student was struggling with navigating college applications.

“Financially, their family was not able to support college, and they were almost independently filling out their college application,” Dr. Szobocsan recalled. “Attollo stepped in and helped them apply for several scholarships.”

“A lot of students don’t know they can push back on a financial aid offer,” Beimnet explained. “That cost — what feels like a wall — is sometimes just a conversation.” It’s not information most students find on their own, especially those whose families haven’t been through it before.

In the end, that student received thousands of dollars to attend Penn State’s main campus.

This is what community support looks like. It’s telling every student: you are worth the investment.

A Generation Worth Believing In

Through his years of working with students, Leo has watched this generation sometimes get written off as distracted, unambitious, and always stuck in their phones. But what he sees is something different entirely.

“These students have limitless potential. They want to be mentored. They want to contribute. They’re just waiting for someone to reach out and be their guide.”

The Warwick Education Foundation, with the support of this community, is just that. For 37 students this year, and more to come.

The Warwick Education Foundation funds student participation in Attollo for Warwick School District students. To support programs like this one, visit https://warwickef.org/donate/.