By: Patrick Gill
Montgomery County Ohio College Promise (MCOCP) was established thanks to the vision of the late John N. Taylor, Jr., a local businessman and philanthropist, and his wife, Connie. The Taylors, with support from local leaders, sought to provide a scholarship to deserving young people who would likely not have the means to pursue higher education due to their financial circumstances. These leaders understood that one-on-one support during the high school years was integral to a student’s future success.
Starting in 2011, MCOCP annually has provided 50 or more economically disadvantaged students with dedicated mentors throughout high school and a full college scholarship upon graduation. The program, which has raised $10.5 million and benefited the lives of 825 students to date, addresses an ongoing need by helping exceptional underrepresented students prepare for college and providing the financial support they need to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Harnessing the transformational power of education, MCOCP seeks to improve the lives of students but also their family, friends and the surrounding community. To date, 98 percent of MCOCP graduates pursue the path of higher education, and students are over three times more likely to graduate from college than peers from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. However, a lot happens between eighth grade when students are selected for the program and when they graduate from high school.
As was the program’s original vision, mentoring has played an integral part in students high school performance and future success. School-based mentoring provides a safe and affordable way for each student to receive personalized support. Whether young people know it or not, they are undergoing significant changes related to their cognitive and social-emotional development. It helps to have a role model (i.e., mentor) who can assume various roles, such as being an active listener or an advocate.
Of course, parents, guardians and school staff, such as counselors, remain key figures for the student, but there are a number of reasons why a mentor assumes a vital position. Guidance counselors are often overburdened by large caseloads and numerous other responsibilities, whereas parents may not have the skills to help in the same manner or may be pulled in different directions as well. Once a mentor-mentee relationship is formed, the student may look to this impartial individual for feedback that they cannot receive elsewhere.
MENTOR, the national nonprofit committed to making high-quality mentoring relationships accessible to all young people, provides compelling data. According to MENTOR, youth with mentors experience an increased sense of belonging, are more supported in terms of their mental health and well-being, and feel confident in their ability to take on academic challenges. Mentees overwhelmingly believe they benefit from having a positive role model. In addition, these young people are in a better position to develop morals and values; engage in healthy behaviors; make sound decisions; overcome personal challenges; receive encouragement; have academic support; and feel empowered to succeed.
Our volunteer mentors, who are background checked and trained, come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of insights and experience to the program. MCOCP provides structure, including a developmental framework, resources, monthly newsletters, quarterly roundtables, staff support and access to a high school liaison. More importantly, our program encourages the mentor-mentee relationship to develop organically because each student has different needs. Our mentors establish a cadence and become versed in knowing how best to support their student.
Alongside a college scholarship, mentorship is a priceless asset that MCOCP offers to 50 or more deserving students each year. As our partner schools and programs can attest, there is an ongoing need for mentors in our community. We all should be driven to work together to meet this demand, especially as we better comprehend the integral part mentoring plays in a young person’s growth, development and future success.
To meet this ongoing challenge, we need dedicated volunteers who are committed to our mission: to identify, select and support Montgomery County, economically disadvantaged students, who have shown promise, so their dream of attending and graduating college becomes a reality. Please consider making a difference in the life of a young person by visiting our website at https://mcocp.org/mentoring.
Patrick Gill, PhD, is the executive director of the Montgomery County Ohio College Promise program and the Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship Program, both of The Dayton Foundation.