Viewpoints - Sarah Shipley - ASPIRE inspires careers
Published: January 16, 2010
Local mentors needed to help students obtain scholarships and succeed Commentary
By Sarah Shipley
January is National mentoring month, a lucky happenstance as I make a plea for additional volunteer mentors for ASPIRE, or Access to Student Assistance Programs In Reach of Everyone.
The program, part of Oregon Student Assistance Commission, encourages students to participate in post-secondary education and helps them find ways to finance it.
"The ASPIRE program gave me the motivation to really put forth effort into my studies. I gained life lessons from the volunteer coaches that still hold true," Michael Whitfield said. He graduated from McMinnville High School in 2005.
ASPIRE offers information and money for educational opportunities, which range from public and private four-year colleges and universities to community colleges, vocational training and apprenticeships.
To do this, we need to build a sustainable community of volunteer mentors. Mentors help connect students to careers, colleges and other training beyond high school, as well as scholarships.
Started in 1998, the program now operates in 115 sites across the state. Schools apply to the Oregon Student Assistance Commission to participate in ASPIRE, a unique offering of scholarship administration and support.
Programs in Amity, Dayton, McMinnville, Sheridan and Yamhill-Carlton demonstrate the importance that these local high schools and communities place on educational opportunities for their students. Last year, ASPIRE student awards in these schools totalled more than $300,000.
ASPIRE's goal is to offer one-to-one mentoring to all students. The number of students participating is limited only by the number of mentors we can recruit and train. At smaller, rural schools, finding enough willing volunteer mentors can be a challenge.
Part-time coordinators at each school work with all students on a drop-in basis, but nothing can approach the value of a one-to-one mentoring relationship. No school in the county has enough volunteers to provide every student with an individual mentor.
Mentors receive training, called College 101 and Financial Aid 101. Active mentors include current college students, retirees looking to give back to the community, parents who want to practice before their children need to select a college and professionals in the local community. Some of the most effective mentors have little or no college education.
What does it require? Mentors should believe in the value of education and enjoy working with teens. Volunteers must pass a background check. For everyone's safety, meetings are conducted at schools, so mentors must be able to meet with students immediately before school, during student lunch or free periods, or just after school.
You can be a successful volunteer mentor with an average time commitment of only a couple of hours a month. Mentors range from 22 to 94 in age. Each volunteer brings unique experiences that can encourage a student in making choices for his or her own future.
ASPIRE also provides workshops, information and centralized resources in high school counseling and career centers. Together with mentors, the program opens doors for students who might not otherwise have considered further education. Here in Yamhill County, we have seen high school students who were homeless or supporting themselves secure funds to continue their education after graduation.
Working as a mentor is an incredibly rewarding way to make an investment in the future of Oregon.
Susan Wilson, a Y-C mentor, said, "Helping them determine the timelines for taking entrance exams, applying for admission or for scholarships - and celebrating the results of their efforts is very rewarding."
The most pressing need is for mentors who can meet with students; nothing works as well as someone who can ask the right questions and provide gentle guidance and assistance. But volunteers also are needed to help manage the dizzying array of reference materials and to update lists of possible national and local scholarships.
Give high school students the opportunity to investigate and secure their futures. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, please contact a local ASPIRE coordinator who can match your skills and energies with current needs.
Local coordinators
Amity: Shanna Ramos, shanna.ramos@amity.k12.or.us, 503-835-2181 ext. 295
Dayton: Debbie Kearns, debbie.kearns@dayton.k12.or.us, 503-864-2273
McMinnville: Sarah Shipley, sshipley@msd.k12.or.us, 503-565-4271
Sheridan: Tracey Grauer, grauers@embarqmail.com, 503-843-3938
Yamhill-Carlton: Janet Herring-Sherman, aspire@ycsd.k12.or.us, 503-852-7614
ASPIRE: www.aspireoregon.org.
Guest writer Sarah Shipley moved to McMinnville two years ago after 22 years in information technology at ExxonMobil in Texas. After serving as an ASPIRE mentor, she became McMinnville's ASPIRE coordinator. Her three daughters live on three continents.
No comments:
Post a Comment