Commercial Appeal Guest column: tnAchieves helps forge pathway to higher education
By Krissy DeAlejandro, Special to The Commercial Appeal
Sunday, December 1, 2013
I
am a first-generation college graduate. In fact, I am one of very few from my
mother’s family to complete high school. I am from rural Tennessee. My parents
still live in the small town where I grew up. With my mom completing only her
sophomore year and my daddy only graduating from high school, we lived a simple
life.
The
opportunity to receive a postsecondary credential changed my life. As a
low-income first-generation student, I am proof that pursuing and achieving a
degree can end a family’s cycle of discounting the value of higher education.
Because the opportunity was given to me, my children will never face the
obstacles of college access that so many students across our state confront.
With
students like me in mind, the founders of the tnAchieves scholarship program
made a bold decision one August afternoon in 2008. Against outside expert
advice, they unanimously decided that a program seeking to “change lives and
transform communities” must not place parameters around acceptance. Thus, the
initial program in Knoxville, known as knoxAchieves, launched with the mission
of giving every student the opportunity to pursue an education beyond high
school with both financial and mentor support.
In
only three years, knoxAchieves supported nearly 1,300 students into enrollment
in a community college. More than 65 percent were the first in their families
to attend college. The program’s first class has an impressive 52-percent
persistence rate in college, with a graduation rate higher than the state and
national averages.
Recognizing
this early success, the tnAchieves board, with encouragement from Gov. Bill
Haslam and support from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, expanded
into 22 additional Tennessee counties in 2011. This new phase of college access
and success launched tnAchieves, a program that has sent nearly 6,500 students
to a postsecondary institution — including more than 1,000 in Shelby County.
With
the addition of Metro Nashville Public Schools, tnAchieves offers last-dollar
scholarships with mentor guidance in 27 counties to nearly 50 percent of
Tennessee’s graduating high school seniors. This means tuition cost should no
longer be an obstacle when a student is deciding to attend a community or
technical college.
The
scholarship funding is obviously critical. I believe it is the incentive that
sparks a student’s thought of pursuing a postsecondary credential; however, we
believe the mentoring component is the reason behind the success of tnAchieves.
Each applicant is assigned a mentor who assists in eliminating the barriers
associated with access to a postsecondary education. The mentor supports the
student through admission and financial aid paperwork, motivates the student to
meet deadlines, and perhaps most important, encourages the student to reach his
or her potential.
Without
the guidance from our volunteer mentors, many of the students would slip
through the cracks associated with the transition from high school to a
postsecondary institution.
Too
often, our students are not assured that college is within their reach. There
is no incentive to persist with their education after high school because they
cannot envision the possibility of walking onto that college campus, assuming
the life of a college student, and being the first in their family to graduate
from college. These are lofty and far-fetched goals.
In
a short time, however, tnAchieves mentors positively influence students’
perception about postsecondary life and ultimately about themselves.
Since
launching in 2011, nearly 1,050 Memphis and Shelby County students have entered
either Southwest Tennessee Community College or the Tennessee College of
Applied Technology at Memphis with financial and mentor support from
tnAchieves. With donations from Memphis businesses, foundations and
individuals, the program is working to pair nearly, 4,500 applicants with a
volunteer mentor.
To
accomplish the governor’s goal of reaching a 55-percent postsecondary
attainment rate, however, tnAchieves needs support from communities in all 95
of Tennessee’s counties.
Leading
tnAchieves is a gift. Since 2008, I have spent the greater part of each day
promoting this bold idea that every student, regardless of family income, ZIP
code and even academic preparedness, deserves the opportunity to receive a
college credential. I read all the reports and appreciate all the statistics
surrounding the success of specific student demographics; however, multiple
times a day, I witness the power of intervention, the influence of
encouragement, and the impact of support.
My
vision is to eliminate the predetermined destiny of our state’s students based
on their socioeconomic status. I want to promise them a better quality of life
and the ability to make a lasting impact in their communities by providing the
resources necessary for success.
All
Tennessee students deserve the support that tnAchieves offers. It changed my
life. It will change our students’ lives and transform our state.
Krissy
DeAlejandro is executive director of tnAchieves.
