The Kent State Trumbull campus began the Rising Scholar program to encourage local youth to achieve their own ideas of success.

“We have four tenents to our program: career readiness, identity development, diversity and social justice exploration and mentorship,” said Tiffany Tyree, Rising Scholar coordinator. 

The student scholars come from local schools and already participate in an after-school program called Inspiring Minds. The program offers tutoring, homework help, recreation and mentoring. Rising Scholars will add on to all the projects Trumbull is already doing for the students of Warren. 

Rising Scholars is starting their program with just the seventh graders of Inspiring Minds. The goal is to keep the scholars in the program from seventh grade all the way to graduation. The students in the program will participate in workshops, retreats and activities that guide them to success. 

Rising Scholars began this Jan. and plans to form relationships with their scholars first. The mentors will be going to the Inspiring Minds facility and getting to know the students by tutoring. The program is also hosting ‘Diversity Days’ to teach their students about diversity and identity development. 

Planning started for Rising Scholars in fall 2019. Advertisements for mentors were sent out to Trumbull students, explaining the criteria to be a mentor and what type of program the Rising Scholars would be. Once the application was approved, the applying student was given an interview and had to pass a background check. 

Ashley Lee was one of the Trumbull students who saw the advertisement for the organization. She applied and was approved to be a mentor. Lee is a junior psychology major at Trumbull and had previously worked with Inspiring Minds. She is excited to be a part of the planning of helping the scholars along in the program. 

“I’m looking forward to the tutoring in general, getting to know the kids. I really like the relationship parts of the job,” Lee said. 

If the students choose to attend Kent State Trumbull upon graduation, they will be granted scholarships, allowed to mentor in the program and be entered in the university’s Road 2 Success program. 

“We really want to promote our students to continue in the Rising Scholar program by being a mentor here,” Tyree said. 

The Road 2 Success program was created to ensure collegiate success among Kent State Trumbull students of color. It offers study tables, a mid-semester check in, skill workshops and professional opportunities.

Rising Scholar mentors will meet on Mondays at 2:30 p.m. to discuss planning and how to make the program better for the students. 

Contact Emily Williams at [email protected].