From registering for the ACT and SAT, to navigating the application process, to picking a school that is the best fit, preparing for college can be quite the undertaking. This past spring, students in Marian University’s 21st Century Scholars Program mentored students from Pike High School to help guide them through the process.

21st Century Scholars met with the students at Pike High School and on Marian University’s campus, planning and engaging in college-prep activities and talking to them about topics ranging from applying for scholarships to dream jobs.

“I think that the biggest takeaway for the students was the amount of impact that they can have on their peers by being willing to share the knowledge that they have gained by obtaining access to college,” Kalyn Miller, director of 21st Century Scholars, said. “I think that this was eye-opening to show the scholar mentors that, while they are learning as students, they still have so much that they have already learned. That knowledge can be very powerful for those that are trying to obtain the goals that they have successfully earned.”

The partnership began in February 2018 and is slated to continue during the Fall 2018 semester.

“The visits to Pike High School were really fun. It was amazing being able to connect with a high schooler and talk to them about their goals in life and actually help be a stepping stone in them being able to reach their goals,” Salem Padgett ’20 said.

Padgett’s favorite part of the mentorship program was seeing how the high school students changed from their first visit to their very last.

“The more times we went back, the mentors would start to notice that these students were really getting excited about going to college, and I could tell what we were doing was really having an impact on them and their futures,” Padgett said.

Through their leadership and service, Marian University’s 21st Century Scholars were able to start important conversations with Pike High School students guide them through the process of preparing for college and their future careers.