Ehlah is a 2021 graduate of Roseville High School. Like many other College Possible students, Ehlah learned about the program through classmates and friends. “I got involved because I realized that I didn’t know how to prepare for college because I’m the first-generation student,” said Ehlah. “Even though my sister went to college, she also needed a lot of help applying, and I realized that she might not be able to help me as much as like I needed.” As the child of refugee immigrants, Ehlah knew that college was essential to her success. “My parents didn’t get the chance to go to college or even high school. So, that motivated me to think, ‘oh, I really want to go to college. And if I want to do that, there’s a list of things I need to accomplish.’ And College Possible was there to help.”
One of the many ways that College Possible helps students prepare for college applications is through ACT preparation, a support that Ehlah leaned on heavily, as she didn’t know how to prepare for big, standardized tests. “If College Possible didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have the chance to prepare fully for the ACTs and I would’ve had lower test scores. I don’t think I would have been able to apply for as many colleges as I could have,” she explains. “My coach helped me apply to five colleges. Without their support, I think I would have only applied to the University of Minnesota. And if I hadn’t gotten in, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Like many students during the pandemic, Ehlah found the transition from attending virtual high school classes to in-person college classes difficult. Rooming with friends helped and with the help of her College Possible AmeriCorps coach, Ehlah was able to find and apply for scholarships and find a community of students like her for support.
Majoring in developmental psychology and minoring in Asian and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Ehlah intends to graduate in 2025. She hopes to use her degree to work with children of immigrants and refugees. Because of her family and her history, she feels like she would uniquely be able to provide support to those children, “because I know how it feels to be one of them.”
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