Rose Meissner, president of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, discussed the education of underprivileged local kids during a talk at Geddes Hall last Friday.
The lecture, which was hosted by the Center for Social Concerns, highlighted the ongoing success of the foundation — one of the top 100 community foundations in the U.S., according to those who participated in the lecture.
The foundation mentors children, financially and personally, to aid their growth and help them attend college.
Meissner began the lecture by describing what the foundation does.
“We launched an initiative that was aimed at getting students enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program — a very unique program in the state of Indiana,” Meissner said.
After her opening segment, Meissner brought up her colleague, Malissa Ayala, to chat about providing opportunities for low-income students.
“Scholarships are one of those things that are just a really wonderful opportunity,” Ayala said, adding that 207 total internship opportunities have been completed by their students.
Meissner and Ayala said the new initiatives taken by the foundation primarily apply to high school students within St. Joseph’s County.
“We also have another small group of students that are 21st Century Scholars from St. Joe’s County that apply to be in our fellowship program,” Ayala said. “So we’re just getting ready to complete our third year of the fellowship … And what happens is students are able to receive an additional stipend from us to use for their expenses, because, again, we know expenses go beyond tuition and fees. But in return, students are very active and are mentors and peers to the community.”
Next, Roberto Leal, the program officer for student success, discussed his experience as a candidate within the foundation and how his gratitude led him to join the team.
“I am super blessed and find myself in a very great position to be a part of this team — this team that recognized that financial assistance isn’t enough in that there are other components that go into making sure that students are successful,” Leal said.
Leal later spoke about how his experience with the foundation better shaped who he is today.
“I learned to advocate for myself, and I realized that asking for help wasn’t a weakness,” he said. “I was able to start my undergrad … I became a mentor and helping the college freshman who just graduated through a program.”
The lecture concluded with a presentation of data explaining the growth of the foundation and the rise in demand for low-income students who have a desire to attend college. The representatives also discussed the upcoming important dates for admittance into their programs.
“The fellowship is growing. We’re looking at adding to that cohort right now,“ Leal said. “The deadline is coming up on the 15th. But we’re excited to review those applications.”
