More grant funding comes to first-generation and small business scholarships
TruWest Credit Union and the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation have given grants and financial aid to support Mesa Community College’s First Year Experience and Green Flag programs, respectively.
TruWest and MCC have partnered since 2019, as TruWest began supporting the First Year Experience with a $40,000 grant. Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation has awarded MCC with a $70,000 grant in support of the Green Flag program.
Grant seeks to reach more first generation students
The First Year Experience program aims to introduce students into the college world by creating cohorts where students create social connections and take courses together.
The program includes a summer and fall session, where cohorts work together through a math and reading and writing bootcamp. Additionally, cohort students are paired together in a class.
A scholarship, funded by the grant, is given to participants. TruWest also supports the program by offering financial literacy courses for the students.
“Our core mission is to serve the underserved and to give a helping hand to those of modest means. Education is how people enter the middle class and gain the opportunity to live their dreams – including their professional dreams and their dreams of being financially secure,” said TruWest Credit Union CEO Alan Althouse.
The intent of the program is to provide financial support and help set students up for success as they pursue higher education.
“We make sure that every student that enrolls in the First Year Experience has one person, a staff member, assigned to work with them throughout the first year,” said foundations for student success director Melissa Carpenter.
The number of program participants ranges from 50 to 100 per year, peaking at 109. Due to the pandemic, participation has dropped to around 50.
Recent high school graduates or first-generation college students are encouraged to apply. Current high school seniors can speak with the college advisor at their school to receive an application.
More support for students starting small businesses
The Green Flag program, a partnership between MCC and the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, is meant to give MCC students the opportunity to start their own business by providing knowledge, resources and workspace.
The grant, which provides up to $5,000 for students to spend on startup costs of their business venture, opened the door for many students who had viable ideas that were not being realized due to financial struggle.
The two-year program has three phases. Students who need help creating a business plan and are in need of additional education are in phase one. This is work that should be done prior to entering the program.
The second phase, the first year of the program, is composed of students who are ready to begin filing their paperwork and operating their business. The last phase is meant to uplift entrepreneurs to the point of profitability and independence.
There is a business center space available off campus by the Mesa Chamber of Commerce for students to go and work on their business in the office space provided.
Small businesses have evolved from the idea of starting a physical storefront to operating a business online.
“I think entrepreneurship has become much more popular. Not necessarily in general, but more popular amongst the younger generation. Most of them are electronic businesses. They’re looking at ecommerce and the opportunity that the internet provides,” said director of the Green Flag Program Dan Piercy.
The Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation and MCC work together to aid minorities in starting their own business. These communities include that of racial background, gender, first-generation students, and low-income households. Many students qualify for the low-income portion of the qualifications.
“Of the nine that came in the very beginning of the Green Flag Program, by the time that we entered last year, we only three who had actually moved forward successfully,” said Piercy. “Then last year, because we had the funding available, we got twelve new applicants. Of those twelve, we only lost three.”
Any students who are interested in the program can receive assistance until their business venture is ready to be entered into the program.
“If a student comes to me with an idea with no real business plan or direction, I may work with them for six months or even a year,” said Piercy. “It’s a great opportunity.”
