Post-secondary Coach, Marketea Abbott and Next Level Scholar, Lina Karteet, were featured by WXYZ Detroit in a story highlighting the challenges of first-generation students and how Detroit
Regional Dollars for Scholars is helping them. Freshmen juggling financial aid, campus life, class schedules and professors, can find it challenging and sometimes need someone to help them figure things out, or just be a shoulder to lean on.
“If a student has had someone in their family go off to college before, that pathway is kind of forged,” said Dollars for Scholars Executive Director Christa Funk. “But if you’re the first in your family to go, there’s a lot of questions out there,” she continued.
Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars follows students through their first year of post-secondary learning; whether that be at a two or four-year college or a trade school. “I didn’t know how to navigate college. I was three hours away from home,” Marketea said. Now, she is coaching Lina and others navigate their first year of college.
Click here to see WXYZ’s full story and hear more about Marketea and Lina.
“I grew up without a clue of what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go in life, until I had the opportunity to join Dollars for Scholars my sophomore year of high school. From visiting campuses, to SAT prep, the guidance I received from the program changed my entire outlook.
“From college tours to financial aid, Dollars for Scholars has greatly impacted my path to higher education. As a first generation college student, deciding where I would want to continue my education and figuring out how I would get there was a difficult process. My family and I lacked the time and transportation necessary to visit schools, and this limited me in figuring out my future.
“When joining Dollars for Scholars, I was eager to visit colleges and earn scholarship money. Being able to look at all the different schools with other students I could relate to was so reassuring. Dollars for Scholars was able to answer my questions about the ins & outs of post-secondary education, as well assist me with applications. This extra help was so motivating.
“Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars is a life-changing program. Before high school, I was going down a path that if most kids took, they’d end up either dropping out of school or going to jail. Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars helped inspire me to get on a better path by showing me how to prepare for college. Hearing other students’ stories made me feel like I could be successful both in high school and post-secondary education.