For Citlaly, the dream of going to college was always there, but so was the fear of navigating it alone.
“As a first-generation college student, I didn’t really know what to expect,” she recalls. “I was excited about the idea of college, but I also felt overwhelmed. I knew it was something I wanted, but I didn’t know how to make it happen.”
That changed when she joined College Possible during her junior year at St. Thomas More High School.
Right away, Citlaly found the structure and support she needed. She started preparing for the ACT, visited college campuses for the first time, and began having real conversations about what college life could look like, beyond just getting in.
College Possible helped me understand so many things I would’ve never figured out on my own,” she says. “From how financial aid works, to what to look for in a campus community, to how to make the most of student organizations, it was all new to me.”
One of her biggest worries was affordability. “I didn’t know how I was going to pay for college,” Citlaly admits. “But my coach walked me through scholarship searches and even gave me tips on how to handle interviews. That made such a difference.”
That support paid off and Citlaly is now attending Marquette University as a member of the Class of 2029.
“Now I feel excited instead of scared,” she says. “College Possible didn’t just help me get to college, they made sure I felt ready to succeed once I got there.”
Looking ahead, Citlaly feels proud of how far she’s come, and thankful for the people who believed in her. “I know I’ll still have College Possible by my side as I start this next chapter,” she says. “That means everything.”
