Local senator reminds seniors to apply for new scholarship

Oct 20, 2014 at 01:00 am by bryan


State Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) encouraged local high school seniors to apply for Tennessee Promise, the state's new scholarship program, by the November 1 deadline. He also urged area citizens to consider becoming a mentor with one of Tennessee Promise's partnering organizations.

"I want all of our high school seniors who want to receive a college education to apply before the end of the month," said Senator Ketron. "Parents and students need to be aware that this deadline is approaching. I also want to make sure citizens in our area know that we need mentors for these students. We are the Volunteer State and I hope that many local citizens will step up to volunteer as a mentor to help these students succeed."

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The Tennessee Promise is a last dollar scholarship, meaning it will cover costs of tuition and mandatory fees not met from the Pell, HOPE or TSAA. It provides for two years of tuition-free education at a community college or technical school in the state. Ketron said students can then use the state's transfer pathways program if they choose to attend a four-year school, making it possible to start as a junior. Students can learn more about the scholarship and apply online at www.TNPromise.gov

As part of the program, students will be paired with a partnering organization and provided a mentor who will support them during the college application process. It is estimated that at least 5,000 volunteer mentors are needed to work with scholarship applicants. Mentors, who must be 21 years of age or older, must be willing to invest 10 to 15 hours annually assisting 5 to 10 high school seniors by playing an active role to help make sure that students succeed. Prospective mentors can find more information about the program and apply online at http://www.tnpromise.gov/volunteers.shtml. The application deadline for mentors is also November 1.

"This scholarship program will have a tremendous impact on our state, not just to improve the lives of the individual students and their families, but on our state as a whole. We need to seize this opportunity to move Rutherford County and our state forward."

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