tnAchieves extends deadline for Tennesseans to sign up to be a mentor

Tennesseans who’ve been thinking about becoming a mentor have a little more time to apply.tnAchieves announced today it’s extending the registration deadline to Friday, October 27 for adults that want to mentor a current high school senior.“Our mentors are local supports for students who need it most. And we’re really grateful to anyone who serve in this role,” tnAchieves Senior Director of Mentors, Tyler Ford.The tnAchieves mentor program will run from mid-November through until October 2024. Mentors will invest one hour a month for a total of 12 hours annually assisting students.“Back in my day, we didn’t have this opportunity, and this is great. This is a great start to college, just trying to transition from high school to adulthood and so I enjoy it. I loved it,” tnAchieves mentor Jada Dowell. “You don’t have to know a lot. You just have to have that attitude or the willingness to help.”All 2023-2024 mentors will have an initial in-person meeting with their students in either early December or January. After attending the meeting, tnAchieves will share with mentor/student pairs.From February to May, mentors will ensure that students file for the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and will continue working with their students.Earlier this year, tnAchieves opened its application with a goal to recruit 9,000 mentors. Nearly 7,000 mentors have applied across the state and twelve counties have recruited the max number of applicants, but 6 counties still need more than 100 mentors to reach this year’s goal.The need is especially high in Shelby County where tnAchieves is still looking for 429 mentors.Each mentor will assist eight to ten high school seniors.“While it’s not a huge time commitment, that one hour does make a real difference for students who need the guidance and need the support. Many of the students we serve are the first in their family to go to college and those students need someone in their corner to help remind them of deadlines, answer questions along the way, and I think most importantly offer encouragement and offer positivity through what is a confusing transition from high school into college,” said Ford.Mentors can be anyone from college students to parents.tnAchieves is a mentoring program that partners with the Tennessee Promise Scholarship in 83 of the 95 counties in the state. The goal of the program is to increase higher education opportunities for high school students across the state by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance.