IN THIS EDITION
NEW SCHOLAR MAKES A POSITIVE IMPACT ON CAMPUS
2021 graduate Ashley is pursuing a career as a college professor. Her experiences at UW-Eau Claire inspire her to help others!
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MOCK INTERVIEWS
CollegeReady board members help students practice valuable skills
Scholarship recipient Sam aims to become an athletic trainer, inspired by his love of sports
STUDENTS PRACTICE THEIR SOFT SKILLS IN MOCK INTERVIEWS
‘ETIQUETTE INTERVIEW’ ACTIVITY CHALLENGES EIGHTH GRADERS TO PUT THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD, WITH HELP FROM THE COLLEGEREADY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
For our young NEW Scholars, Etiquette Interviews are viewed as a rite of passage. Each year, the eighth graders in the program participate in a mock-interview with a CollegeReady board member or volunteer, creating an opportunity for students to practice their soft skills, like clear speech, eye contact, and a professional handshake.
Board member Claire Williams enjoyed interviewing NEW Scholar Dannaly
Our students take this activity seriously, since they know that they’ll soon be using these skills in the real world.
Many students work a part-time job in high school, so knowing what they might encounter in a job interview is helpful for our students,” explains NEW Scholars Director Carmen Vos. “These students will need to know how to ask their supervisor a question, engage in conversation, or meet a new colleague – all in a professional manner,” she continues.
And for the board members and volunteers who do the interviewing, this activity is a fun and enlightening way to help these students practice valuable skills.
“I look forward to this activity every year,” says Board Vice President Claire Williams. “I have a lot of fun meeting the students, learning about their post-high school goals, and getting to know what’s important to each of them.”
THIS NEW SCHOLAR AIMS TO BE A MENTOR TO FIRST-GEN STUDENTS AS A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
ASHLEY’S CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT MAKES A POSITIVE IMPACT AT UW-EAU CLAIRE
Nearing the end of her third year at UW-Eau Claire, Ashley, a 2021 graduate of Green Bay East High School, is on track and ready to complete her Bachelor’s degree in four years. “I’ll be graduating next spring, but I’m already preparing to apply to graduate school,” she explains.
NEW Scholars celebrated Ashley’s completion of the program and high school graduation in 2021
Although she started college as a psychology major in hopes of becoming a therapist, she soon realized that wasn’t the right career for her. After searching for a better fit, she found alignment of her interests and goals for the future and declared her major in Ecology and Environmental Biology.
“I want to become a biology professor. I want to be a representation of first-gen, Hispanic students,” she says, smiling. “I haven’t seen a professor that looks like me or has any experiences that are similar to me. I want to be that resource or that mentor to other students.”
Ashley hopes to attend grad school at UW-Madison, but even as she looks to the future, her contributions at UWEC continue to make a difference on campus.
This year, she became a Student Support Apprentice for the biology department, answering student questions, grading quizzes and prepping labs for the introductory biology courses. She enjoys getting to know the students, and finds it fun to be on the other side of things: helping to teach rather than being taught. “You become acquaintances with the students, and make jokes so they feel more comfortable asking you questions,” she shares.
Ashley was proud to unveil her finished database project to fellow UWEC students
Ashley has also been hard at work in the financial aid office, building a scholarship database that connects students with available scholarships. “Our team manually puts scholarships into a database that I created,” she says. With a big-picture goal of increasing access to scholarship funding, the Scholarship Resource Center also offers hands-on help. “We meet with students to show them how the database works. We help them apply, read their essays, and help with cover letters,” Ashley explains.
Her work has already made a big impact. “There are hundreds of scholarships that students can apply for,” Ashley says.
“I started it, and it’s kind of like, my baby,” she laughs. “I’m so proud of it because it helps so many students make college more affordable.”
SAM VOLUNTEERS AS A COACH TO GIVE BACK TO HIS COMMUNITY
Sam’s love of basketball inspired him to volunteer as a coach and pursue a career in athletic training
In college, I’ve learned the importance of perseverance and adaptability when facing obstacles, which has strengthened my ability to overcome challenges both academically and personally.
I am going to college to become a physical therapist or athletic trainer. I have been an athlete my whole life, and have always loved being around sports, so working with athletes or for a professional sports team would be my ultimate goal.
During the summers, I help run basketball training lessons and camps for young kids as volunteering.
It is good to give back to the next generation of kids and my community because of all they have done for me.
SAM
UW-La Crosse, Exercise Science major
Gibraltar High School | 2022 graduate
