Mentors are the difference makers
By Krissy DeAlejandro, Executive Director of tnAchieves

Krissy DeAlejandro

As a second grader, I never thought about attending college. Neither of my parents attended college. In fact, my mom dropped out of high school to marry my dad. While not a college-going household, my parents encouraged my love of reading, fostered my curiosities and demanded academic excellence. They provided the foundation for me to break our family’s cycle and attend college.

I applied to only one college, Sewanee: The University of the South. No one told us that this was risky and I might not be accepted. Thankfully, I got in!

Even though I would have qualified for federal funds, we did not complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). No one told us federal funds existed for students to attend college.

I could recount the many other missteps and missed opportunities, but in the end, we persevered. In many ways, when I graduated from college so did my parents! They were my cheerleaders. They were my support system. And their encouragement changed my life.

My second grader, Oliver, now lives in a home where college is discussed every day. The cycle in my family is forever broken. My parents impacted one life that created a ripple effect.

When Randy Boyd, Bill Haslam, Mike Ragsdale, Rich Ray, Tim Williams and I (and later Oliver “Buzz” Thomas) launched tnAchieves in 2008, we wanted to eliminate the barriers that kept students from earning a college credential.

While the last-dollar scholarship eased the financial burden, we understood that encouragement would also be a difference maker for many of our students. Like me, many first-generation students need someone in their corner – a cheerleader to offer words like, “We can do this together.”

Mentors give one hour per month to not only provide encouragement but to serve as a resource. Higher education is often filled with confusing acronyms and jargon that very few understand. Mentors answer questions like, “What is a credit hour?”

They also assist our students and their families as they navigate the college process. At tnAchieves, we call this being the student’s task master. Reminding our students of critical deadlines is so important to their success. tnAchieves mentors find nudging via text message the most effective way to reach our students.

Ultimately, our mentors become the “someone” I was missing and so desperately needed when I began my journey to college. All students have the potential to graduate college but many need a local support system to boost their success. Our mentors fill that need.

When Governor Haslam championed Tennessee Promise, tnAchieves became the partnering organization in 84 counties across our state, serving more than 95 percent of the 60,000• students who apply annually. My team is now tasked with recruiting 9,000 volunteers each year to ensure every student feels like college material, successfully navigates the college-going process and understands the importance of digging in when it gets tough and earning his/her college credential.

Tennessee Promise is now a national model. With more than 82 percent of our students completing a FAFSA, Tennessee continues to lead the country in FAFSA filing. Moreover, the first year of Tennessee Promise led to an unprecedented 4.6 percent increase in the state’s college going rate which is more than the last seven years combined!

Tennessee Promise students are also outpacing their peers with college retention boasting a 63 percent fall-fall retention – well above a 50 percent national average. Tennessee Promise students are also outperforming their non-Tennessee Promise peers by more than 17 percent.

Thanks to Governor Haslam’s leadership, General Assembly support and tnAchieves board of directors’ vision, students no longer face the barriers that traditionally kept them from entering and remaining in college. The culture is shifting in Tennessee. Students and families are no longer questioning if the student can go to college, they are now discussing where the student will earn a college credential.

Our vision is to eliminate the pre-determined destiny of Tennessee’s students based on their socio-economic status. We want to promise them a better quality of life and the ability to make a lasting impact in their communities.

Published November 12, 2018