This week’s “Daily Journal” guest columnist is Ashley Sherrill, Program Specialist for the John Locke Foundation.
RALEIGH — Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of students at Jones Senior High School in Trenton. The talk was part of a new initiative, Pathway to College, designed to motivate, inspire, and educate high school students on the importance not only of staying in school, but also re-shifting their focus toward gaining admission into college and being successful once there.
The goals set for the daylong series of workshops at the school were very specific: expand on the knowledge gained through a college education, increase the knowledge of college options, and educate on admissions criteria and financial aid resources. Gary Hill, who created this project, is a 2009 Graduate of the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders Program. Each Morris Fellow is required to complete a yearlong project which in some way benefits his or her community, be it church, neighborhood, or civic group. Gary took advantage of this opportunity to bring his idea to fruition.
Trenton is a very rural town in Jones County. The students at Jones Senior High School are mostly from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and have very limited resources when it comes to learning about and being motivated about the possibility of college. Additionally, there is a lack of college graduates that return to the area, making it more difficult to find people to testify about the benefits of higher education, thus creating a need. Of course this is true for more than just Jones County; many locations all over the state face similar challenges.
The needs of the students at Jones Senior are reflective of a much larger audience of students, whether economically disadvantaged or not. It is evident that the process of preparing for college can be quite daunting. While there are many great information resources, it is the personalization being provided by programs like Pathway to College that are making the difference for the students who need it.
More than ever, students today are feeling the pressures of the economy. Looking forward to something as costly as a college education is almost frivolous when there is barely enough money at home to pay for day-to-day expenses. Money is the No. 1 concern for these students. It seemed that some of them had even written college off as a possibility because it just doesn’t seem financially feasible, which should never be a restriction for moving forward with academic endeavors.
Students need someone who can relate to their situations and encourage them to move forward, while helping to find balance in their priorities. The guidance they need won’t come in the form of a booklet or resourceful Web site; it will come from mentors, people like Gary Hill who make it their mission to reach out and challenge these students to succeed. This is the call to action to pay attention to our high school students, to reach out and make the difference for one or more students across the state, who need encouragement and enlightenment to pursue what they didn’t think possible.
The Pathway to College program will continue to strive for the original goals set forth in Hill’s proposal. I believe the program will have a significant impact and success rate. The more information the students received, the more they began to understand what we were trying to convey. The students at Jones Senior and across the state are bright and capable; it only took a little effort to see our message sink in. Some will go to college, and some will not, but it was a great feeling to see that they now know college is an option.
We wrapped up my portion of the workshop with each student writing his or her own personal mission statement. It became a tangible goal, something they can mold and change as they move forward in their life. It was obvious that they believed their mission would come to light and that success, however they choose to define it, is something they can attain.
They left the Pathway to College day excited and motivated to push for a better future. While this was a coordinated effort, this is nothing that individuals can’t do. A little bit of time can go a long way, and the results will speak for themselves. Finances should never hinder students from achieving what they choose to strive for. The students of North Carolina have too many great things to offer, and it’s time to put forth a better effort in helping them achieve success.