“I’m a first-generation college student. Nobody in my family has a college education, so if I get through I’ll be the first. And I’m in my 4th semester at Pelissippi, so the odds look pretty good! I’m studying business management with administrations. When I was in high school, I never thought I’d be where I am now. I figured I’d be working 40-plus hours at some factory or something. But my senior year I started getting involved with TN Achieves and I met my mentor, and they definitely changed my outlook on things. It’s given me an opportunity to carry on my education and they’ve definitely guided me well through the process of all this. Being a first-generation college student, nobody in my house knew how to help me apply to colleges, not to mention how to get scholarships or fill out FAFSA. But the staff and my mentor knew what to do and they helped me every step of the way. Honestly, I look at where I am now, and I really never thought I’d get this far. But I did, and now I’ll go farther.”