This June, College Possible Wisconsin said goodbye to a group of incredible AmeriCorps coaches and sent them off to the next step in their journey. Through their commitment to closing the degree divide and advancing equity throughout the Wisconsin community, these coaches have put in so much dedicated hard work supporting students on their path to college that they never failed to empower scholars and see them through to their goals. Coaches leave behind many accomplishments and a lasting impact on their students. They helped the 2022 high school graduating class of College Possible scholars:
- Submit 1,667 college applications to 304 colleges
- Earn 1,230 admissions to 225 colleges
- Earn 151 scholarship awards from 38 programs
Additionally, college coaches helped nearly 80 College Possible scholars cross the finish line and earn a degree from more than 20 institutions this spring!
Executive Director, Kellie Sigh, said, “Each team of coaches that serves with us is special. This year’s coaches were exceptional in their service to our scholars. They consistently offered support in ways that extended beyond sheer academics and were met with scholars who were enthusiastic about being in relationships with them. In many cases, our coaches were the first person our scholars sought to share college admissions news with!”
During service, coaches enhanced their career skills through an array of professional development opportunities. Now, many of them are pursuing their careers or returning to school. Some of our coaches shared with us their plans for their future and highlights of their service:
Wanting to go on having a positive impact on her community, high school junior coach Edith Duran will continue working with College Possible Wisconsin as a program coordinator. Looking back at her two years of service, she is most proud of her students who had been filled with a sense of accomplishment upon reaching goals they weren’t always confident they would reach.
Ellen Mueller, our very first campus-based college coach at Milwaukee Area Technical College, will continue to work in the nonprofit space in Milwaukee before returning to school to get her master of social work degree. She says meeting many influential people was a highlight of her term. She felt inspired by not only her students but other coaches as they were also recent college graduates.
As an awardee of the Trinity Fellows fellowship, Lisa Okhuofu will be attending Marquette University tuition-free to pursue her Master of Science in civil engineering. A highlight of her term as a college coach was the conversations and relationships she had with her students. She is grateful to have had an impact on their lives, and for the impact they had on hers.
High school senior coach Ashley Johnson will be pursuing a career in higher education after being inspired by her role at College Possible Wisconsin. She feels incredibly proud of her students and has enjoyed celebrating their successes with them. To her, these were always the most special moments.
Chue Yang served two years as a college access coach. First as a high school junior coach and then as a high school senior coach, Chue loved seeing his students grow from junior year to graduation. As a result of supporting and advocating for his students, he was inspired to continue in the education field. He will be starting a role as a college admission counselor at Carroll University.
Ben Sevart, high school senior coach, will begin law school at University of Wisconsin–Madison this fall. A highlight of his term was the Kohler visit; one of his students was even a recipient of the Kohler Scholarship! He is proud of the courage his students have shown as they took steps toward college.
Mattie Branson-Meyer will be attending American University in Washington, D.C. this fall to pursue a master’s degree in public history with the intention of becoming a museum curator. As a high school senior coach, a highlight of her service term was when her students would share exciting news about college or their future with her. She feels proud that she was always there to support her students no matter what!
“Our AmeriCorps Coaches are the heart of our program. As recent college graduates, they had many options. Yet they chose to serve the community and advance educational equity. Day in and day out, they walked alongside our scholars as they pursued their collegiate ambitions. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and I come to work each day inspired by the brilliance of our scholars and the passion of our AmeriCorps team,” said Kevin Curley, Senior Program Director.
Join us in celebrating the successes of our coaches!
Interested in joining our team as an AmeriCorps coach? Click here.
