“I am thankful to Path to College. I know that without Ms. Christine, my mentor Bill, Edson, that I wouldn’t be here today.” shared Charlie during his Student of the Year acceptance. “I hope this first step in my path to college makes my friends, my peers, and my family proud.”

Charlie applied to our program in the fall of 2019. He didn’t have the highest scores, his recommendations were short though heartfelt. He said he wanted to be an astronaut- a feat difficult for even the most privileged student. We made Charlie a promise that we would try our best to get him there. We matched Charlie with Bill Maronet - a business owner and former veteran. Bill had asked us for “one of the hard ones.” We knew by looking at Charlie’s application that his writing skills, course selection, and grades were below our average applicant. He needed extra support in his life. As Charlie continued in the program, we found that his grades and scores didn’t shoot up like some of our other students. His cell phone was often out of service. He shared that he had to move in with his older sister and later with his grandma. Charlie worked multiple jobs. We offer quite a lot of workshops and hold many meetings. Charlie was not always able to attend them all, but he continued to meet with his mentor. At the start of the 2020 year, Charlie was often behind on the PTC College application checklist. Considering low-income students are half as likely to even send in one application, we were glad Charlie, one of our most vulnerable students, endured. Charlie then did something remarkable. After hearing us advise another student to think about her “return on investment” when it comes to her minimum wage job or time spent on scholarship applications, Charlie decided to drop his part-time work and focus on scholarships. Then we found out that Charlie had been accepted into Florida State University-- an incredible feat. We truly credit his mentor for this outcome. He was the type of mentor who showed up continuously, and he encourages others with this slogan, “How many lives can you help change in your lifetime?”

“I’ve always had a bad habit of doubting myself” shares Chimdindu. “My doubts had no chance against Akanskha, though. She was there every step of the way, encouraging and guiding me. I never once doubted her faith in me. Knowing that she believes in me and wants to see me succeed is truly a comforting feeling. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet such a wonderful soul like hers. The mentor/mentee relationship I gained through Path to College will follow me for a lifetime.”

Chimdindu has been the shining example of what a PTC fellow is: a student who faces insurmountable odds but nonetheless, perseveres and succeeds beyond expectations. As a 10th grader in the program, she was dedicated to the core principles of our program and participated in everything she could. She went on to win the EdTalk of the Year competition for her speech on how European beauty standards negatively affect women of color. Sadly, in her junior year, Chimdindu’s father abruptly died leaving their family in a difficult place having to continue without him. As an organization, we rallied around Chimdindu, we put her in what we have term our “In Focus” program which allows us to put more intentional focus on students that are struggling in our program whether due to academics, mental health concerns or in Chimdindu’s case, a loss in the family. Her mentor was an integral part of that strong support system. During this time, Chimdindu started applying to one of the most difficult applications called the Questbridge Scholars. — a scholarship program that helps students like her from low-income families match into Ivy League schools across the country. After putting in diligent effort over the period of several months, Chimdindu submitted her application and in November of 2022 was informed that she had received a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious, Emory University.

From Akanksha, “As a PTC mentor, I want to help my students see themselves in a new light and bring out the best version of themselves. It’s amazing to see them succeed and get into the college of their choice.”