Madison College Scholars of Promise Apply Day Is March 1st: Fulfilling Dreams
Shanai Kaashagen, associate manager for Madison College’s Scholars of Promise program, invites graduating seniors of color and first generation students to check out Madison College on March 1st.
By Jonathan Gramling
Shanai Kaashagen has a passion for helping other people. And as a first generation college graduate from primarily Euro-American educational institutions, she knows where many college-bound students are at and the pressures they face while trying to fulfill their dreams.
Growing up in Cambridge, Wisconsin and attending Winona State University in Minnesota on an athletic scholarship. She came back to Madison to fulfill an internship requirement at Madison College in 2013 and has been with Madison College ever since, earning a master’s degree in higher education counseling from Lakeland College along the way.
“I have a passion for helping people and supporting people in making the most informed decisions for themselves and helping individuals manage their stress and overcome personal and academic challenges that they may face,” Kaashagen said. “I’m a first generation student. My parents weren’t able to help me as much as I would have liked to navigate financially and all of those sorts of things. That’s partially why. Through the different personal experiences that I had in my undergrad and then while I was at Madison College, really helped motivate me to get a background in counseling and be able to have additional tools that help me support students.”
Like Kaashagen there are many high school students who have the potential and the intelligence to make a contribution to society, but without the proper financial and academic support, they will never make it out of the higher education gate.
Back in 2017, Madison College accepted its first cohort for its Scholars of Promise Program that gives students of color and first generation students the support they need to make it through higher education without the burden of student loans if they meet certain financial guidelines and have a 2.50 GPA.
“The requirements for the program are to apply to Madison College, activate their student accounts, apply to Scholars of Promise, complete the FAFSA, submit their test scores to Madison College and also submit their high school transcript,” Kaashagen said.
And in return, the student can possibly graduate from college relatively debt free thanks to the Promise to Promise agreement between Madison College and UW-Madison.
“We’ve already had some students who started at Madison College, graduated, transferred to UW-Madison and have graduated without having had to take out any student loans,” Kaashagen said. “That’s phenomenal.”
Kaashagen said that 70 percent of the students don’t have parents who have gone through the higher education experience because they are first generation students. And so Madison College is hosting the Scholars of Promise Apply Day, 5-8 p.m. so that students and their parents can come in to Goodman South Campus to potentially complete the process all in one night.
“We will work to get as many items as possible before Apply Day in terms of obtaining test scores and high school transcripts from their school counselors,” Kaashagen said. “But at the event, we will be providing a meal that is very COVID-19 safe. They are all pre-packaged items that they will be able to select from. We’ll have tables they can work at and a computer lab designated for completing the FAFSA. And we’ll also have a computer designated for completing the Madison College application. And the Scholars of Promise application. They should be able to get everything done on Apply Day.
At the end of the night, students and parents will be on the same page in terms of knowing what needs to get done in order for their student to have a realistic chance to achieve their American Dream.
Scholars of Promise doesn’t operate on dreams. It is made possible through the generosity of the community.
“I would like to highlight that this program is only made possible through the amazing donors who contribute to this program,” Kaashagen emphasized. “And since this program has started, we’ve been able to provide over $700,000 in tuition coverage. We work with the Madison College Foundation to promote the program and to collect those donations.”
With a little push, deserving students with limited support can make it to the academic finish line and achieve their dreams. And it takes a whole village to make that push and make their dreams possible.
For more information, visit Scholars of Promise Apply Day Registration: https://madisoncollege.edu/about/news/register-now-scholars-promise-apply-day; Scholars of Promise Website, How to Apply: https://madisoncollege.edu/paying-for-college/financial-aid/scholars-of-promise; Madison College Foundation, How to Donate: https://www.supportmadisoncollege.org/give-to-scholars-of-promise/