Twenty DeKalb County Mentors Needed for TN Promise

July 3, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Tennessee Achieves has begun its effort to recruit 9,000 volunteer mentors to meet its goal of providing every TN Promise applicant from the Class of 2020 with a local support system.

DeKalb County needs 20 mentors for the TN Promise

TN Promise affords every graduating high school senior in the state the opportunity to attend a community or technical college tuition free. Nearly 64,000 students from the Class of 2019 applied for the scholarship, and program administrators are expecting even more applicants from the Class of 2020.

Most of the TN Promise applicants will be the first in their family to go to college. TnAchieves mentors support students as they navigate the college-going process and provide the nudges many need to earn a college credential.

“Tennessee Promise provides an opportunity for every student in Tennessee,” said Krissy DeAlejandro, Executive Director, tnAchieves. “Going to college will change a student’s life forever. tnAchieves mentors are helping change the culture in our state. Mentors are shifting the conversation from, ‘should I go to college?’ to ‘where am I going to go to college?’”

The time commitment is small; tnAchieves only asks mentors to give one hour per month, but the impact can be life changing for students. The organization provides a one-hour training session, a handbook, and weekly communication to ensure the mentor is fully equipped to serve his/her students.

To learn more, or to apply to become a mentor, visit https://tnachieves.org/mentors/apply/.

Launched in 2008, tnAchieves is a privately-funded scholarship and mentoring program that seeks to provide an opportunity for every Tennessee student to earn a post-secondary degree. It operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit in support of the TN Promise initiative in 91 counties across the state.