Take Stock Monroe Welcomes 54 New Scholars

The dream of earning a college degree or career certificate with little to no debt just became a reality for 54 students from underserved households in Monroe County. Last week, Take Stock in Children held contract signing events at four school sites across the county for its newest middle and high school scholars.

“We have a fantastic group of new TSIC scholars who are ready to work towards achieving their goal of a college education,” noted Monroe County Education Foundation president Bryan Green. “We are eager to welcome them into our program and provide them the opportunity to pursue their personal post-secondary pathway to a college or a career-technical education institution.”

Take Stock scholars benefit from college success coaching, workshops, college visits, and weekly mentoring during middle and high school. Upon successful completion of the program, Take Stock scholars can earn access to a Florida Prepaid College Foundation tuition scholarship covering state tuition and local fees at a Florida public college or university. The Florida Prepaid scholarship may also apply towards the tuition at many of the state’s career-technical education institutions.

“These 54 new scholars increase our total enrollment to 303 Take Stock scholars attending our Monroe County middle and high schools,” said Chuck Licis-Masson, MCEF Executive Director. With over 896 scholars who have successfully completed the TSIC program in high school since 2001, “Our scholars are four times more likely to earn a college degree or career certificate than their peers nationwide.”

Mentoring is the foundation of the Take Stock in Children model. “Our mission is to accept all students from income-eligible families who have the desire, motivation, and potential to go to college;” Licis-Masson said. “But, we cannot bring new students into the program unless we have a mentor ready to match.”

Licis-Masson explained that many new mentors have joined the Take Stock program providing the opportunity to this year’s cohort of Take Stock scholars to achieve their goal of earning a college degree or career certificate. However, there are eligible students who are still waiting to enter the program. “These students are eager to become Take Stock scholars, but we need a qualified, eligible mentor to give one hour a week of their time to make a life-time of difference in their lives.”

To learn more about Take Stock in Children Monroe County or if you are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact the Take Stock in Children office at 305-293-1546 or by email at [email protected]. You are also encouraged to visit our website at http://www.monroecountyedfound.com for additional information and to support the program.

Take Stock in Children, the flagship program of the Monroe County Education Foundation, provides Florida Prepaid college scholarships upon high school graduation to qualified 6th-12th grade Monroe County public school students residing in low-income households. TSIC Monroe is an award-winning model in the State of Florida, a concerted endeavor consisting of over 300 dedicated volunteer mentors and students with a network of individual donors, corporate sponsors and a hardworking staff.