Mentoring is a serious commitment. It takes a lot of planning, oftentimes research, lots of listening, sometimes some frustration, but I want to make a case here briefly that it’s worth it.
Here are a few statistics that may help to get a bigger picture about the students here in Florida. As we approach graduation season, one fact about the high school students here in our state is that 65% of Florida high school graduates are planning to attend college. But of that 65% of Florida high school students who attend college, only 30% of them will actually complete their full degree that they intended to earn.
Earning a college degree has many obstacles. The top 5 reasons why students don’t finish their college degrees are 1) cost 2) balancing work and school 3) transferring 4) poor grades, and 5) being denied a student loan.
That’s why the Take Stock in Children program is essential. Take Stock in Children is unique to the state of Florida and it truly makes an impact. Think about the positive influence mentoring has on the students. Oftentimes, mentors are discussing career choices, problem solving skills, help them plan their community service hours, connect them to resources, and bridge any gaps between guidance counselors and teachers. Mentors keep the students accountable for good grades and behavior and foster trust and encouragement. But they are also building a relationship like no other with that student.
The value of earning the scholarship money through the program plus guiding them to apply for additional scholarships will reduce the cost in ways that to some students will be the only way that they can achieve a degree or certificate after high school.
And remember that I stated that only 30% of our Florida students will actually finish the degrees that they started at college? When enrolled in the Take Stock in Children program, our students’ chances of getting a college degree increases.
Take Stock in Children publishes the data that they collect and now they have nearly 3 decades of stats. The most current data from Take Stock in Children shows that 92% of students enrolled in the program will go to college or pursue a trade or certificate after high school graduation. 92%. And 70% will complete their degrees. That is higher than the national average and of course the state of Florida average. And that’s commendable.