Partnership improves college-going culture

A unique partnership among Grand Valley's College of Education, The Graduate School, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) and two local districts is helping increase the number of students pursuing postsecondary education. 

The partnership places two graduate students from the College of Education in Grand Rapids schools to help high school seniors learn about and apply for postsecondary education. This includes 2- and 4-year colleges, trade schools, certificate programs and other credential-granting programs.

Jeremy Bissett, a school counseling graduate student at Grand Valley, is working in Godwin Heights High School, and Te'Asia Martin, a college student affairs leadership graduate student at Grand Valley, is working in Kelloggsville High School.

Bissett and Martin give one-on-one assistance to students, helping them send transcripts and fill out financial aid forms. They also help seniors search for scholarships, inform students of their eligibility for various need-based scholarships and grants and chaperone field trips to colleges and college fairs.

Most of the high school students they assist are first-generation college students. 

"I simply ask each student, 'What do you want for you life and how committed are you to getting there?'" said Martin. "If these students tell me they want to become a doctor, or a nurse, I help them craft their route to their destination. I don't tell them what to do, instead, I affirm their goals and desires. That way, it's their own path, and they can stay committed to the future that they want." 

The partnership in Kelloggsville is new; the Godwin Heights partnership began more than a year ago.

Bissett said he helps seniors overcome the fear of being on their own and losing touch with friends from high school. "It can be scary to be on your own. I want students to feel more comfortable as they transition from high school to becoming young, independent adults," said Bissett. 

The partnership has proven to be successful. Data in Godwin Heights, as of April 2016, shows 87 percent of the senior class had applied to at least one postsecondary program, and 79 percent of the class had been accepted to at least one program. In a class of 117 students, a total of 346 applications had been submitted to various in-state and out-of-state postsecondary institutions and programs, and 244 acceptance letters had been received. 

MCAN, based out of Lansing, sponsors several statewide initiatives with a goal of increasing the proportion of Michigan residents with postsecondary degrees or credentials to 60 percent by 2025. 

"We need our students to dream and have hope for a better future," said Martin. "It's their hopes and dreams that make our communities, states and nation the place that it is."

Martin said her experience at Kelloggsville High School has helped shape her passion into a craft and career. She and seven students from Kelloggsville are participating in the Grand Rapids Historically Black College Tour Experience during the winter semester. The group will visit colleges in Florida and Georgia.

Bissett said his experience at Godwin Heights High School is allowing him to apply what he is learning in the classroom. "As a school counselor-in-training, it is extremely valuable to work alongside counselors, teachers and administrators," he said, "and, I enjoy working with students and watching their personal growth as they progress throughout their senior year of high school."