Graduates to help teens follow in their footsteps

UNC News Services

April 29, 2010

In June, 15 graduates will begin working for the Carolina College Advising Corps, a program that places recent college graduates in low-wealth high schools to mentor the students toward college. Advisers help students learn about the importance of college and what college is like, encourage them to apply and help them with college and financial aid applications. The program targets low-income students, some of whom will be the first in their families to go to college. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Carolina corps will have 21 advisers in 57 high schools across the state.

The Carolina corps is part of the National College Advising Corps headquartered at UNC. Fourteen universities in 13 states send advisers to nearby high schools. Nationally, nearly 200 advisers will be at work next year.

The corps was launched in 2007 with a $12 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Additional benefactors including the Lumina Foundation for Education and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund have helped the program expand.

Here are three UNC May graduates who have chosen to begin their careers with the Carolina corps:

Brandon Carter of Green Level (Alamance County) will be an adviser at E.E. Waddell and Garinger high schools in Charlotte. “I’ve always shared a passion for assisting middle and high school students to aspire to college,” he said. “I make it my job to tell every student there is a college or university for them, no matter their background, ethnicity or financial status. Carolina College Advising Corps allows me to continue this passion after graduation.”

Ariel Cochrane-Brown of Cary will work in Atkins Academic and Technology and Carver high schools in Winston-Salem. “I have always been committed to community service and to helping youth pursue education after high school,” she said. “Because I have been so blessed throughout my life, I believe it is my duty to help the less fortunate. Having a job that combines my passion for service and working with young people is a perfect match for me coming right out of my undergraduate years at UNC.”

Jessica Lynch of Burlington will work at Dudley and Smith high schools in Greensboro. “I have been blessed with so many opportunities, from receiving a scholarship to college to having a strong support system that has encouraged me,” she said. “After taking classes in public policy here at UNC, I became interested in education policy and economic development. Ultimately, I would like to create my own nonprofit or national organization to address problems in our public education system. I decided on service after graduation because I want to help students have some of the same opportunities I have had. I want to make sure students without a support system are encouraged to attend college and are exposed to opportunities to further their education.” Lynch received a Morehead-Cain Scholarship, a prestigious merit award that covers four years at Carolina, four summer enrichment experiences and additional learning opportunities during the school years.

Carolina College Advising Corps Web site: http://www.advisingcorps.org/files/CCAC_Service_Map_2009-2010.pdf

National College Advising Corps Web site: http://www.advisingcorps.org/

Carolina College Advising Corps contact: Jennie Cox Bell, (919) 843-7286, jcoxbell@admissions.unc.edu

Commencement Web site: http://www.unc.edu/commencement

News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589