Alabama Possible Celebrates High School Counselors and Career Coaches for record breaking success
2026 Celebration Day Event shines light on postsecondary access winning strategies in high schools across the state
Birmingham, AL — On June 3, Alabama Possible and our partners celebrated the successes of the 2025–26 academic year during our virtual Alabama Goes to College Celebration Day. With 81 attendees, the event opened with remarks from Jamie Kanki, Managing Director, Match, followed by student stories from the Class of 2026, reflecting on their journeys and future goals.
Jamie Kanki stated, “A student gets a direct admission offer, and something really clicks. It stops being an abstract possibility; it becomes a concrete one. Someone looked at me, saw my potential, and they said yes. And I think that that matters in ways that are very difficult for us to overstate. So of course, the offer is only one part of this journey, but that’s why the broader college access ecosystem in Alabama is so important. Organizations like Alabama Possible, Birmingham Promise— you’re doing the work of turning possibility into a plan. And you all know that access does not end when a student receives an offer. It continues when someone helps them understand what that offer means, how to pay for it, how to take the next step, and how to believe that they belong.”
We also heard from Dr. Monica Mack, Education Specialist with the Alabama State Department of Education, and Kory Smalzer, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Match, who highlighted key accomplishments across the Alabama Goes to College campaign. In addition, Lisa Sommer King, Senior Director of the American College Application Campaign, recognized Pell City High School as this year’s School of Excellence Winner.
Eight schools were honored for having the highest Direct Admission participation rates. Within the Cash for College initiative, MVP Awards recognized the five schools with the highest FAFSA completion rates, and Most Improved Awards went to the five schools showing the greatest year-over-year growth in FAFSA completion. MVP Award-winning educators shared successful strategies that supported students into postsecondary pathways, underscoring the power of collaboration in creating brighter futures.
| Direct Admission Honorees | MVP Awardees | Most Improved Awardees |
| Extra Small Schools
(three-way tie) Jefferson County IB School McKenzie High School University Charter School Small School CF Vigor High School |
Extra Small School
McKenzie High School Small School Satsuma High School Medium School Fort Payne High School
|
Extra Small School
Susan Moore High School Small School Beulah High School Medium School Jemison High School (Chilton)
|
| Medium Schools
(two-way tie) Ben C Rain High School John L Leflore Magnet School Large School WP Davidson High School |
Large School
Hewitt-Trussville High School Extra Large School Fairhope High School
|
Large School
McAdory High School Extra Large School Alabama Connections Academy
|
| Extra Large School
Mary G Montgomery High School |
|
|
The 2025–26 Alabama Goes to College Campaign achieved significant milestones in advancing postsecondary access for Alabama’s Class of 2026. Alabama ranked 10th in the nation in FAFSA completion, while 35,174 students submitted 95,404 college applications during Alabama College Application Week. Through the Alabama Direct Admission initiative, nearly 20,000 students received 220,303 admission offers and unlocked more than $7.2 billion in potential scholarship opportunities after completing a Match profile—demonstrating how intentional, student-centered strategies can remove barriers and expand pathways to prosperity.
Chandra Scott, Executive Director of Alabama Possible closed out the event with a big congratulations to all the winners and thanking everyone for “being on the frontlines in supporting students and families in charting postsecondary pathways.”