School: Marquette University Class of 2015
College Possible student alum Montavius Jones reached a remarkable milestone. A 2010 graduate of Milwaukee School of Languages and 2015 Marquette University alumnus, Montavius is grateful for the impact College Possible has had on his life. That’s why, in 2016, he became the first Milwaukee donor who is a student alum of our program.
“College Possible got me to where I am today,” Montavius said. “If I can help another kid realize their dream and get some of those obstacles out of the way, I have a responsibility to pay it forward.”
In high school, Montavius benefitted from the extensive ACT preparation College Possible provides and worked hard to achieve a good score. This score, along with his strong application, got him an incredibly generous scholarship to Marquette University through their Educational Opportunity Program.
At Marquette, he was admitted into the business school and studied commercial real estate. He now works for the City of Milwaukee as an Economic Development Specialist.
An introduction at College Possible’s Dream Big Dinner helped Montavius get connected with an internship at one of Milwaukee’s business improvement districts. That connection changed Montavius’ career trajectory.
“I don’t think I would have this job without the experience and qualifications I got from working at the business improvement district,” said Montavius.
Montavius enjoys his work with the Department of City Development and the opportunity it provides for him to give back to his city.
“I want my work to be for Milwaukee,” he said. “I want to better my community. I want people who come here or go to school here to have a reason to stay here. I want to help improve the lives of people who already live here, no matter what their educational attainment or socioeconomic status is. I want to make a better Milwaukee for everyone.”
Montavius is a young leader with a bright future. Though his hard work and persistence got him to the place he is today, he says he couldn’t have done it without the help and support of College Possible.
“It’s a great program,” he said. “College Possible wants to make sure that you don’t just get to college but you finish college. It really helps people and it changes lives. It changed my life.”
