By making a gift to College Visions, you empower low-income students to earn a college degree and build a stronger future for Rhode Island. We're featuring donors who are making a difference, and this month we shine the light on power couple and College Visions supporters Garfield Davidson and Shonte McDowell. 

We believe that education is the key that will open doors leading to success. Anyone and everyone who has the desire and aspiration to attend college should not have to overcome barriers to entry caused by socioeconomic status.

There is an epidemic of high school students who aren't matriculating to college; not because they lack the credentials but because they lack the financial means. If we can be that invisible hand to help them get over the hurdle and cross the finish line then we will continue to do that.

We have featured CV at our monthly Professional Networking Group [an event that brings people together to make professional connections and learn about community organizations] and had Simon speak to educate the attendees about CV's programs and mission. In fact, CV was the very first organization featured! 

Are you an upcoming high school senior looking to go to college? Do you know someone who is??? College Visions is recruiting for our next class. We are looking for students who:

- Are current 11th graders at Providence-area public high schools; 

- Are first-generation college bound - parents do not have a Bachelor's degree from a college in the US;

- Qualify for free or reduced lunch at school; 

- Are not involved in other college-access organizations, including ETS, College Crusades, and Upward Bound, or a student at the MET School; and 

- Are passing core classes and on track to graduate in June 2013

If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of being in College Visions, we will be holding two information sessions at our office on:

Tuesday, May 22 at 4:30, and 

Thursday, May 24 at 4:30

If you're interested in attending, please sign up here. The same information will be presented in each session. Parents are welcomed! 

 

The Beneficent Church is at the corner of the intersection of Weybosset, Broad, Empire, and Chestnut Street. Meter parking is available on street, but is only free after 6pm.  Bring quarters if you arrive early!

"My goal was to get into an Art College in which I did but sadly I could not afford. When I got accepted to Salem College I was not excited at all. But my adviser Raul took time to actually help me with my financial issue, he introduced me to the John Davis Art Scholarship at Salem College and I was able to spend the weekend there. To my own surprise I felt as if I belonged and was happy that I spent my time there. Out of all of the hundreds of girls who applied for that scholarship I was the only one to receive that full ride. With that experience and opportunity I realize that I have the ability to pave my own road."

"When I got into Providence College, I was so excited. Also, when I realized that I granted a full-tuition Cunningham Scholarship, I was speechless. I was happy the college I applied to was able to realize my potential and give me the chance to pursue my dream. As of today, I'm still in shock I was able to come so far with applying to Providence College."

"When I got into Northeastern University I literally ran outside my house and did a whole lap without stopping. I was really excited and overwhelmed because it was my top choice; at that moment all the other colleges did not matter. When I saw the financial aid package with my College Visions advisor, I was pretty excited because I almost got a full ride. Breaking down the information really opened my eyes of how much college costs. I am very fortunate and I see now that hard work pays off."

"It was more of an experience...It started with the nervousness of having the letter in my hand. I wanted to look at the letter because I had waited so long for it, but I didn't know if it was an acceptance or denial. I took a deep breath and began to open it slowly. After that I opened it aggressively because I just couldn't stand it. My heart was racing and closed my eyes. I unfolded the letter and opened my eyes and all I remember is running around my house with screaming with joy, happiness, success, relief, and satisfaction. It all came to me in a blaze of glory and it was amazing."

"College Acceptances were an adventure.  All I remember is coming home to a poorly reclosed package with forced straight faces around me. I could feel the suspense in reopening the package, not knowing what was to come. Reading the first line of every acceptance or rejection was all I had to do. "Congratulations you've been..." or "It was a hard decision..." Reading the congratulations brought ecstatic joy to my heart.  When I got into my top choice, Bentley College, I almost had a heart attack and started running around the house screaming 'LET'S GO!'"

CV Class of 2006

Bentley University Class of 2010

As an employee of Bank of America I have been actively involved in their volunteer service program. This program gives me the opportunity to dedicate volunteer hours to the organization of my choice. Without hesitation, I decided to dedicate my volunteer hours to College Visions! I have now been a volunteer for the past year and a half and have completed about 200 hours of volunteer time at the CV office. I have helped students write college essays, edit resumes, research colleges, and fill out scholarships. I have also helped the staff with care packages, event planning, and general administrative tasks.  The most rewarding experience as a volunteer for me is the connection I've made with the students. As a CV alum volunteering is my way of giving back and I look forward to future work with the organization.  

Nursing is definitely a challenging field.  It requires a lot of science, studying, critical thinking, and self-discipline.  It is vital to do all assigned readings and know them well and to have good "people-skills."  You will be taking care of ill people and want to give the best quality of care despite their background, beliefs, and culture.  You have to be open-minded and be willing to learn from your mistakes.  Every patient is different so you are always learning something new.  It's about taking advantage of every opportunity you get to learn more and constantly sharpening skills such as taking vital signs, giving injections, assessing body systems, and learning about medications.  

It can definitely be very stressful if you have more than one exam in a week -or worse- in one day! At times you will have to sacrifice your social life in order to get work done.  But when you know the material and help out a patient and you see their smile it is worth all the effort!  There will be times that it seems that it is too hard but that is only preparation for the future in the field of nursing so NEVER give up!

This semester I am in Pediatrics Nursing and Maternity Nursing.  So far my favorite experience in the nursing program was when I helped deliver a baby at Woman and Infants for my maternity rotation last month.  Both my lecture and clinical teachers for Paternity Nursing are very animated and LOVE what they teach, so that class was never boring.  But learning about Labor and Delivery from a book is completely different from experiencing it live!  

It was the woman's first child.  Before I entered into the Labor and Delivery Room I thought I was only to observe from the corner but as I went in the midwife said, "Here Abigail, put this gown on, face shield and gloves and hold the woman's leg."  It became a hands-on experience instantly!  I was able to talk to the woman as she was in labor and encourage her to keep going.  I got to finally see what it was really like.  She screamed, sweated and at times felt she couldn't go on but I kept telling her, "you're doing fine!  Great job, keep it up!"  

Finally, after an hour of pushing I saw "the miracle of life" as she gave birth to a baby girl.  Hearing the first scream of the baby was so beautiful!! It was emotional for the family!  The dad and mom were both crying.  My teacher handed me the baby as soon as she came out and told me to wipe off the blood and put it on the mom's chest for 'skin-to-skin' interaction.  I was able to feel the umbilical cord still pulsating once it was out of the body before it was cut.  After two minutes of skin-to-skin interaction my teacher asked me to assess the baby such as taking her APGAR scores (test done for all babies during the first min of life then 5 then 10), respiratory rate, heart rate and injecting Vitamin K on her left thigh.  

It was an experience that is hard to put into words but one of the experiences I will always remember.  I hope that all students who decide to go into the nursing field get to experience this. 

Nursing in itself is very challenging because it requires me to think on my feet!  At times I feel like I know the material from the textbook but once I am in the clinical setting, everything seems so foreign to me.  I have to work hard on making sure I KNOW the material and not just memorize it because it will become part of my everyday life.

I never thought of being a maternity nurse.  I always saw myself either in Pediatrics or General Medicine but after this experience I would LOVE to work one day in the Labor and Delivery Room unit.

Brandeis University '15

I'm a first year student at Brandeis University studying economics.  This year I joined the Brandeis African Students Organization (BASO), open to African and non-African students on campus.  I also work at the school library.  

BASO has an impact on the way I view myself because as the only Liberian on campus, I felt alone and very homesick.  Being apart of BASO made me realize there are students from everywhere in Africa on my campus.  Though we are all from different countries, we still share some similar qualities and are all going through the same experience here at Brandeis.  BASO helped me feel at home; it's almost like a second family.

Andy Montan

Rhode Island College '14

I'm a sophomore at Rhode Island College (RIC) and I'm majoring in Justice Studies.  Outside of class I am a secretary for the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and I am a DJ at 90.7 WXIN RIC radio. 

The things I like most about my activities are helping people and being a role model for freshman who come in from high school that are the future of the organization when I graduate. The most challenging part about being a secretary and a DJ is the demands of having everything ready for both the meetings and the show. There is a lot of time that you have to put into the organizations and therefore sometimes it is hard to balance both schoolwork and my responsibilities. Although it is a lot of work, I manage to balance it and continue head on. 

Becoming part of these student organizations here at RIC has made me a better speaker and has helped better my social experience. Since I am planning to become a part of the law enforcement team I think that they have helped me better myself on how to deal with people overall. I advise every student to join a club at their school. It has helped me so much when sometimes I feel like I am bored. It keeps me busy and I love being part of the community.

College of the Holy Cross '14

The organizations I am apart of are Holy Cross College Choir, Women's Rugby, Summer Orientation Leader, Church Praise Team and various dance events on campus.

Rhode Island College '14

"Restlessness to Revolution"

 

Over the past year, my mental framework has shifted tremendously. My state-of-mind prior to early 2011 mainly consisted of questioning personal ideals of love, anticipating new material from a certain future-prog-punk musical artist, and my frustration with the inefficiency of my daily commute. 

A little over two months prior to September 17th, a Vancouver-based magazine published a blog-post calling for people to occupy Wall Street in New York City. In the post, which defined the climate of the 2011 paradigm shifts as a "revolutionary shift in tactics," the goal of reclaiming democracy instead of corporatocracy was loosely defined. I was all in.

The movement spread from the tight quarters of Zuccotti Park (better known as Liberty Plaza) in lower Manhattan to a worldwide phenomenon that brought the protests to little Rhody in early October. Lacking organizing tactics and being somewhat socially awkward, I wasn't too concerned about whether or not I could contribute to the cause. After a few weeks of attending general assemblies I saw that my best fit in addition to taking part in marches and some direct action was to keep the message on the airwaves on my weekly radio show on WXIN, the RIC radio-station. The key for me was to stay active within the realm of my already packed schedule. Every Sunday I would play a set-list of songs for a solid hour followed by another hour of Occupy discussion and announcements.

I hold on to a belief that energy among people and communities is cyclical. In attending conferences and pop-up Occupations throughout the North East over the winter, I've experienced great energy and have found ways to bring that energy back to the local community.  As the spring semester approached, I got more ingrained in the movement and tried my hand at organizing on the student level.  Since then I've been able to meet many awesome people and have built great connections along the way.

Where before I used to gripe and internalize frustrations with my surroundings, I now actively channel that energy by interacting with others to work towards solutions that will directly improve the local community. Even though some people may doubt this organizing tactic, one thing is certain: if progress is going to occur, it has to begin from within and reverberate throughout.

Guilford College '13

I'm a Bonner Scholar and Project Coordinator of a service site called YWCA: Teen Families in Need. Being a Bonner Scholar consists of doing 140 hours of community service per semester, in addition to two summers of service during one's four years at college. 

Besides classes and service, I also have Junior Bonner Meetings, All Bonner meetings, Project Coordinator meetings, and Guiding Lights meetings. I also am required to attend certain events for Bonner and organize reflections occasionally throughout the semester.

My favorite experiences so far consist of in depth discussions in class, going for nature walks through the woods with my best friend, and getting to interact with individuals of the Bonner Program and the moms and kids at the Y. What is most challenging about college is managing my time between friends, schoolwork, family, social life, service, and myself. 

This experience has taught me discipline. It has impacted my future goals in helping to see which things I like and love to do. It has also impacted my future goals by providing so much experience!

Eastern Connecticut State University '13

I'm a Business Economics/Communications major and super involved on campus.  I am in five student organizations and leadership groups and I live in a learning community that focuses on community and civic engagement. 

Last week I was on my spring break and I decided to do the Alternative Spring Break. Instead of going home or going to Florida, I went to Boswell, Pennsylvania and did community service for a week with six other people from my school. We did some trail clean up for a camp and also worked with a non-profit organization called The Learning Lamp. It was a great opportunity and I made amazing friends!

Between the five organizations and my work on the executive board at FEMALES, I have quite a bit of responsibilities. I am a mentor to three students through the Pathways to Leadership program and I am constantly planning community service opportunities as well as events and retreats for some of these groups. I have two jobs; I work on and off campus. I work in the central housing department and I work at Camp Horizons on the weekend. Camp Horizons is a camp for people with mental disabilities. We help campers enjoy some of the activities that may not be available for them to try elsewhere.

Learning so much about myself and the amazing people I have met is my favorite part of all these different experiences.  The spring break trip and Vagina Monologues though, have been some of the most memorable! The most challenging part about all of it is time management. It's finding a balance between homework and activities. It is very easy to fall behind but I've had a lot of help from mentors and professors to keep me on track.

With all the programs I do, I have been able to see where my weaknesses are and more importantly where my strengths are. I've learned to adapt to situations and people and with that knowledge I know I can do anything. I've seen that I am very much a people person and that I love doing community service so I am looking into careers that will allow me continue working with people and giving back.