Student Highlight

Isis’s senior year at Lorenzo Walker Technical High School ended a little differently with COVID-19 changing the way that we socialize and communicate, but that did not stop Isis from reaching her goals.

“You have to look at the positive in every situation, even though my senior year may have ended differently, I still graduated from high school and doing school online allowed me to be with my family,” said Isis.

Although she did not get to walk across the stage to receive her high school diploma Isis said, “I’m proud of my community for celebrating the seniors this year and having a virtual graduation was very special, I’ll always have the video to look back on!”

Isis is majoring in Financial Management and has already started her first semester with Florida State University virtually, and will be heading to live on campus in August.

Isis wasn’t always so sure that college could be a possibility for her. She is the first in her family to attend college and didn’t know what resources were available for her, or if she could even afford to go to college.

In her junior year of high school, she applied to the College and Career Prep Program at Champions For Learning, with the help of her counselor. “Champions For Learning provided me with resources I never knew existed and every question that I had they had the answer,” said Isis.

“I learned how to plan financially for college, by applying for scholarships and filling out the FAFSA, the program made the possibility of going to college a reality,” said Isis.

Isis is looking forward to getting involved on campus and becoming part of her campus community by joining organizations like Women in Business. She also plans on getting involved in the community by interning in local non-profits.

“Through Champions For Learning my community made a huge impact in my life and I want to one day make a difference in the lives of others,” said Isis.

College can be very intimidating especially for a first-generation college student. One of the first obstacles I encountered was orientation and registering for classes. I attended the second to last orientation, but to my surprise, I was still able to pick all the classes I wanted with no problems. I was prepared for the class selection process from being a dual enrollment student at Florida Southwestern prior to going to Florida International University. I was grateful for the time management and organizational skills that Champions for Learning helped me build to create the perfect schedule for me.

The next obstacle was housing. Champions for Learning made sure everyone was on top of their deadlines and requirements, so I was online selecting my room the moment it opened. I selected a room located on the second floor which meant the elevator ride would be quick and I could take the stairs if I did not want to wait. My room was also the closest to the communal kitchen and it was the best room on the whole floor besides the Residents Assistants.

Another challenge I faced during my first year was making friends, it was very difficult to get out and meet new people. It is challenging to find like-minded people as well as create meaningful friendships during such a busy time in life. But as I progress in my studies, I’ll continue meeting more new people.

The last major obstacle I faced this year was finding out my financial aid account had an error that caused me to have an unexpected balance. When I had heard this, I had no idea what it meant or that it was even possible. I had carefully budgeted my four years of college so that I knew down to the penny what was being covered. Thankfully, I had Champions for Learning just a phone call away to help me figure out what was going on. After all that panic the school agreed there was an error which was corrected, and I did not have to pay an unexpected charge.

There will always be unexpected obstacles looking to slow you down, but I am grateful that I have Champions for Learning always there to help me overcome them. The program taught me how to grow as a student and as a professional. The skills I learned such as writing a professional email or how to find help on campus I use everyday and I will continue to use them throughout my career. I feel as though I am always one step ahead and I have been gifted with valuable knowledge that I can share with not only my peers but with incoming college students who did not have the same opportunities I had.

Champions For Learning is excited to announce that one of our senior students, Emma has been chosen as a Leaders For Life Fellow. Emma is currently a senior at Naples High School and is dually enrolled at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Emma is one of 6 students selected through the statewide Take Stock In Children Program; fellows receive leadership training and professional development opportunities, a new laptop computer, and funding up to $40,000 to attend a 4-year public university in Florida. The L4L selection process was a competitive one with each (TSIC) county affiliate able to submit 2 student applicants. Of the 100+ applicants, a panel reviewed application essays, letters of recommendation, academic record, test scores, extracurricular activities, and video submission to ultimately select the 6 Fellows.

Emma is involved in many ways in the community, she founded a Creative Writing Program that provides workshops for middle school students. Emma is involved with Gulfshore Playhouse as not only a stage manager but also as a mentor for the students. She also initiated the March For Our Lives movement in southwest Florida with the help of local groups. Emma is passionate about literature, she started a magazine called Generation Z and is the co-founder of the Literary Magazine at Naples High School. Emma will be pursuing a degree in English at Wellesely College and aspires to be an English professor one day.

The Champions For Learning College and Career Prep Program kickstarted and pushed Juan to figure out what his next steps would be in his education. “The staff at Champions For Learning gave me the knowledge and tools I needed to succeed, they were my advocates. From filling out my FAFSA to getting everything ready to attend Florida Gulf Coast University, Champions For Learning was there every step of the way,” said Juan.

After graduating from the program Juan started as a nursing major at FGCU but he quickly figured out that nursing wasn’t for him. He changed his major to Criminal Justice and immediately fell in love with all his classes.

Since starting his post-secondary education Juan quickly got involved on campus starting with the Office of Student Support Services with an academic group called TRIO. He also joined the honors college in his sophomore year and became part of the swim club. He has been able to lead the swim club as their captain to Nationals for the past three years and he is ranked number two in the state of Florida in his division. Along the way he also joined a fraternity, Phi Delta Theta has given him many opportunities he wouldn’t have otherwise and has helped him to give back to his community by volunteering with various organizations.

Now he is interning with the Department of Juvenile Justice in Fort Myers where he works with youth, “the best part about interning with them is that I get to impact my community similar to the way that my community was able to make an impact on me through Champions
For Learning,” said Juan. After graduation, he will be applying to law school and wants to become an assistant district attorney or pursue business law.