Scholarship Opportunities For Low-income Students Pursuing College In Denver – Thanks to a unique high school-to-college program, Luis Hernández will enter his final semester of college and earn a bachelor’s degree at MSU Denver this fall. Photo by Amanda Schwengel
The Academic Pipeline Program guides low-income students to a college degree. MSU Denver’s Path to Excellence initiative provides financial, academic and career support throughout the undergraduate process.
Scholarship Opportunities For Low-income Students Pursuing College In Denver
First-generation college students from low-income backgrounds face unique challenges in navigating the academic expectations and tapes that are part of a college education.
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He was the son of Mexican immigrants who supported his educational journey, but his parents could not provide much guidance in navigating college.
Thanks to a special high school-to-college program, Hernández continued his educational journey at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where next fall he will enter his final semester and earn his bachelor’s degree.
MSU Denver’s Pathways, known on campus as P2P, is designed to engage students like Hernández before they begin their first year of college and provide them with support and guidance throughout their journey to graduation.
As a first-generation college student, Luis Hernández needed more guidance to navigate his educational journey, which the P2P program provided. Photo by Amanda Schwengel
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Under the program, which launched in the fall of 2021 and was first supported by Gov. Ja Polis’ Response, Innovation and Student Equity Fund, Pathways Admissions works with high school officials to identify students of color and those from rural and low-income areas who may benefit. exit the program.
Once these students are accepted, the program provides financial support and scholarships, leadership development, academic training, summer internships and more.
Program administrators saw an immediate positive impact on students who participated in the program. Now, four years later, they have the data to back it up, said program director Melissa Cleaver.
“Right now, our retention is 80% — about 17 (percentage points) higher than the comparison group,” he said. “95 percent of them are low-income students. And we have a high percentage of students who are students of color or underrepresented.”
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The program is open to all first-time MSU Denver applicants who graduated from a Colorado high school. Last fall, P2P worked with nearly 400 students, including more than 200 freshmen.
Cleaver said prospective students accepted into the program attend a two-day workshop in the summer before classes begin to develop a sense of belonging and community development.
Each student is assigned a success coach with whom they meet twice each semester, and are expected to participate in campus events and attend career fairs related to their major. The key, Cleaver said, is to maintain regular contact and build relationships with students before they set foot on the MSU Denver campus for college graduation.
“That’s the base,” Cleaver said. “We try to bring them to campus every semester and explore them so they can achieve their personal and professional goals.”
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MSU Denver student and P2P member Alexandra Contreras-Ocon helps students in her role as an assistant in the coordination office. Photo by Alyson McClaran
Alexandra Contreras-Ocón, a third-grader in the program’s first cohort, will graduate in 2021 from Denver South High School and is the first in her family to attend college.
“It was hard because I didn’t know that applying to college required filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid),” she said. “Also, there’s the cost of college and course choices. It’s a challenge.”
The P2P program helped answer these questions and made it more consistent across campus. “It was helpful because at the time I didn’t know what kind of program MSU Denver offered,” Contreras-Ocón said. “The staff helped me get a sense of what P2P was. They were very helpful with any questions I had or what I was doing in my classes.”
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At the request of the P2P program, Contreras-Ocón attended campus events and participated in resume creation workshops. She also works part-time as an assistant in the Outreach, Transition and Rehabilitation Department. Meanwhile, he found a career goal.
“I’m in Social Work,” she said. “My plan is to get my degree and then when I finish that, I’m going to start my master’s here at MSU Denver, and in Social Work. After I finish that, I plan to become a Licensed Social Worker. become a therapist for children.”
Hernández has also identified career goals and is on track to graduate next December with a major in sociology and a minor in Chicana/o Studies. “What interests me the most is looking at community work,” he said of his major. He also uses statistics, a subject he likes.
Hernández now has her sights set on making health care more accessible to minorities and is considering pursuing a master’s degree in Health Care Administration. “I have a dream to start a non-profit to help bring minorities to health care,” he said. The Center for Educational Opportunity provides the community with information on obtaining higher education, planning, and assistance with filling out applications for admission and financial aid, offering Digital Literacy. tools, help teach Financial Literacy, explore career options, and share private scholarship resources for low-income first-generation students,
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Although the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) is located and operated by Denver Community College (), it is open to the public.
We serve a large six-county area providing the community with information on access to higher education, planning and helping complete financial aid applications, exploring career options, and distributing private scholarship resources to low-income first-generation students. .
The Educational Opportunity Center is 100% funded by the United States Department of Education, Title IV, Higher Education Act.
EOC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to its educational programs.
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The EOC offers many services to help you succeed, including academic planning and counseling, career search counseling, student financial aid counseling, financial aid information, and assistance with applying for scholarships. EOC also offers college readiness workshops throughout the year.
With the help of an Education Access Professional, you can begin the process of achieving your educational goals! An EOC Education Access Specialist will help you make a decision
Education Access Specialists help you define or change career goals. Counseling is facilitated and may cover the following tasks: career creation, career needs, academic skills, personal values, and individual preferences related to career choices. Career prospects and income can also be discussed.
The Educational Opportunity Center offers GED/HiSET certificates on a limited basis. In addition, we can help you find in-person or virtual classes for the GED or HSE program that meet your needs. After you receive your HSE certificate, we can help you. additional activities for additional academic purposes.
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***The state of Colorado currently recognizes two high school equivalency (HSE) exams. The GED and HiSET are two standardized tests available. Learn more.
Our academic experts can explain the financial aid process, including information on four student financial aid programs: grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships. They can also help you fill out the necessary applications. Apply early! FAFSA applications are available each October for the upcoming school year. Make an appointment to start the process.
In addition, EOC offers financial literacy training to assist you in personal financial planning and education. Please meet with our coach (in person or virtually) to establish your financial goals and develop a plan. Make your appointment today.
EOC conducts workshops at our various locations throughout the metro area and at the Auraria campus in Denver. At Auraria, we work with the Distribution Center, which also offers student development workshops. Review the Student Achievement Chart. Review topics include digital literacy, career advice, academic finance, scholarship research, how to choose a major, and more. We’re excited to release our Digital Library, which allows anyone to access our content anywhere.
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The EOC has offices throughout the community in both high schools and other non-profit locations.
Find an EOC office near you to make an appointment Some of the EOC locations also see participants through counselors from various private partnerships in our service area and calls will change his life. He was in fifth grade when he got a call from his mother, an immigrant from Mexico, who was in the emergency room. Her thyroid cancer progressed to the point where she had difficulty breathing, and without documentation and financial resources, she was unable to obtain adequate medical care.
He was worried, but he had a more important message: “He said, ‘Maybe I won’t see you again, but I want to tell you that I love you,'” Moreno recalled. “And that really sparked something in me. Children shouldn’t have to worry about their parents dying because they don’t have enough money to pay for the surgery.”
During this time, Moreno was put in a position to become an advocate for underserved communities. She is currently a third year student at CU Denver, also studying public health
