Kenzie Conol never dreamed she would go to college.
The Palm Bay High School senior has excellent grades and plenty of drive, but not the financial means to make her college career a reality.
But, in the fall, Conol will pack her bags and head off to college to study marketing and communication.
“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” said Conol, who has a 3.9 grade point average. “Education is the basis for anyone’s life and to fulfill their dreams. Without the opportunity to go to college, your choices in life are limited.”
Conol was given her opportunity to succeed by Brevard County’s Take Stock in Children. The nonprofit program provides deserving, low-income students a college scholarship, a volunteer mentor and hope for a better life.
Conol was accepted into the program in middle school and paired with a mentor.
“It’s just amazing to work with these kids because you realize how much we are blessed with and how much we take for granted,” said Jeri Ronaldson, Conol’s mentor. “You see the kids work so hard with very little economic opportunity. Take Stock is wonderful because it gives them the hope to succeed. When Kenzie started high school, she never thought she was college material. Now, she will be the first in her family to go to college. When she received the scholarship, she also received the hope to endure all her adversity.”
Conol has been accepted to Florida State University and the University of Central Florida. She is still waiting to hear from the University of Florida before making her college choice. She plans to major in marketing and communication in hopes of becoming an advertising art director.
“Take Stock allows kids to take advantage of their full potential and have choices in life,” Conol said. “I wouldn’t be going to college without them, but, instead, working a minimum wage job for the rest of my life. The program has kept me going strong and motivates me. It has been the biggest blessing in the world.”
About the program
Take Stock in Children is the signature program of the Brevard Schools Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization. The program was introduced in Brevard County in 1996 as a dropout prevention program for at-risk students and quickly grew to include the scholarship program. “We are helping kids that might otherwise take other roads,” said Anne Everly, program manager of Take Stock in Children. “We are keeping those kids on the right track so they make the right choices and go on to have great lives and become a giver to the community.”
More than 600 students have completed the program with a 98 percent high school graduation rate, Everly said.
“We work really, really hard to help our students,” she said. “It’s not just about dropout prevention, but now we concentrate on college readiness, retention and graduation. The ultimate goal is to have a successful high school career, graduate, go on to something post-secondary and get a great job.”
Students are accepted into the program during middle school by filling out an application, which includes references and essays, and being selected by a community leadership committee. Although hundreds apply, only a small portion are accepted into the program because of lack of funds.
The organization receives state funding to cover the costs to run the program, such as salaries, Everly said. However, the program relies solely on private donations, grants and fundraising for the cost of scholarships.
“I wish we could accept every deserving student into the program,” Everly said. “This is life-changing for families and kids, and it takes a community to make the program successful.”
It costs about $8,000 to purchase a scholarship for the program through the Florida Prepaid College Fund. The scholarship is for two years or 60 credit hour at a community college, but can be used at any approved four-year university in Florida.
“The student can use it anywhere they want to go, but if they go somewhere other than a community college, it won’t cover the entire cost,” Everly said. “The students are encouraged — and receive help — to apply for other scholarships and financial aid.”
Since students cannot be accepted into the program until a scholarship has been purchased for them, lack of funding directly restricts the number of children able to be helped within Brevard County. Everly said the group plans to bring 55 students into the program this year.
Once in the program, students are paired with a volunteer mentor who helps provide the student the tools they need to succeed.
The mentor is asked to meet with the students on a weekly basis at the school for about an hour, said Amie Harris, college success coach and mentor coordinator for Take Stock. Representatives of Take Stock also “check in” with the students twice each quarter.
Throughout the program, students are required to maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA, attend school regularly, and remain free of crime, drugs and disciplinary actions.
Helping themselves
It is required that each student be assigned a mentor before they are accepted into the program. There are currently 196 students in the program and 157 mentors, so some mentors help more than one child. “My mentor has truly changed my life,” Conol said. “To have her there has motivated me to keep going as a student and throughout life. The change she has made in my life — her presence in my life — has made such a major difference.”
Take Stock in Children is always looking for additional volunteer mentors, Harris said.
Each mentor must be at least 18 years old and a high school graduate. They are required to pass a Brevard County Public School background check, including fingerprints. The cost of the background check and fingerprints are paid by Take Stock.
“Mentors are there to be a listening ear, a confidante, someone the kids can count on,” Harris said. “They keep the kids engaged in school and are there as a friend. I’m so impressed with the effect that mentoring has on the students.”
Informational and training sessions are at 9 a.m. Tuesdays at the Brevard County Public Schools building in Viera. During the two-hour session, mentors learn about the program and their role with the student.
“I knew I would be imparting guidance on college preparation, and moral and emotional support,” said Ronaldson, who became a mentor three years ago when her youngest son left for college. “What I came to find out is that I’m the one being educated. Kenzie is so inspirational. She has such courage and motivation and determination to succeed. She always keeps her eye on the goals set for her educationally. It is the most worthwhile volunteer activity I’ve ever done. The reward is so great when you see them meet with a challenge. You have the same pride as with your own children.”
For individuals who are unable to mentor but would like to support the program, monetary donations are always welcome, Everly said.
Each year, the program hosts a gala in September and a 5K run the first Saturday in December.
Ronaldson has set up a memorial fund in honor of a family friend who passed away late last year. Donations can be tagged for the Mark Miller Memorial Fund.
Take Stock nonprofit
For more information or to become a volunteer, contact Anne Everly at 321-633-1000, ext. 430. To make a monetary donation, send contributions to Brevard County Public Schools, Attn: Take Stock in Children, 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL 32940.
Source: Florida Today