New program helps senior at Lewistown find success

June 5, 2009, The Sentinel, Lewistown, PA - By Michaiah Wise-Bilger

This school year was a whirlwind for senior Travis Ramsey as he prepared for graduation and college.

Ramsey, who graduated third in his class at Lewistown Area High School, said he knew he wanted to attend college but needed help with the process.

Through the help of the Keystone College Advising Corps, Ramsey will be the first member of his family to attend college this fall, he said.

The goal of the program is to help rural Pennsylvania students like Ramsey by giving them the resources and the opportunity to attend college.

In rural central Pennsylvania, high school graduate enrollment in four-year colleges is significantly below the state average, according to information from Franklin & Marshall College, a collaborator in the program.

The program's goal is to educate high school students about higher education and financial aid - which is what LAHS program advisor Kaitlin Marks-Dubbs did.

The student began his senior year without much college planning, Dubbs said. Ramsey had not taken the SATs and was unsure about what college to attend, she said.

"I was planning to attend college; I just wasn't sure where to go," Ramsey said. "Since I didn't know anyone who went to college, I didn't know all the things I had to do to transition into college."

Together, they scheduled a time for Ramsey to take his SATs - on which he scored very well - and visited colleges, Marks-Dubbs said.

During the process, Marks-Dubbs admitted, she was a little nervous about getting things done in time.

"It's November and this (top honors) student doesn't have his SATs" or college applications in, Marks-Dubbs said about the beginning of the school year.

Ramsey, too, said the whole process was challenging.

"It was intense to go through the college search process in less than a year, and it put a lot of pressure on me; but I am satisfied with my choice," Ramsey said. "Through the Keystone program, I received information on colleges and was able to find a college in Pennsylvania that had classes that interested me. Once I was interested in Dickinson (College), I was driven there to visit to see how well I liked the college itself."

After an interview with college faculty, Ramsey received scholarships, grants and a small loan to fully fund his education at Dickinson, Marks-Dubbs said.

"My family members were excited that I would get a chance to go to college and were glad that they would not have to pay much for my college," Ramsey said. "I was excited that I was going to go to a great school and that I would be going there for a fraction of the price."

Marks-Dubbs added that Ramsey's interests are unique - he plans to study both mathematics and creative writing.

"I plan to take part in a math-related career and/or be a screenwriter," Ramsey said of his plans for after college.

Dickinson also is close to home- another plus for Ramsey, Marks-Dubbs said.

While Mifflin County will not participate in the program next year, the Keystone advisors will continue to serve students at Juniata, East Juniata, Mount Union Area and other high schools in the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit.

A recent higher education study indicated that in the "rural heartland of Pennsylvania," 60 to 63 percent of high school graduates say they plan to enroll in post-secondary education, compared to 63 to 74 percent in Philadelphia and up to 89 percent in suburban counties around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, according to information from Franklin & Marshall.

Keystone College Advising Corps, which is free to high schools, is funded by its collaboration of colleges and several foundations. The sponsoring colleges are Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, Millersville University and Shippensburg University.