Fountain Square Academy Students Paired with Mentors
Partnership with Starfish Initiative’s “College Coaches” Keep Students
Heading Toward Graduation and College

December 22, 2008

Freshman Carrie Dugan is paired with a college coach through the Starfish Initiative.

Freshman Carrie Dugan has a new ally. She is one of three Fountain Square Academy students paired with a mentor, or “college coach,” through Starfish Initiative, a non-profit organization headquartered in Indianapolis that pairs college-educated mentors with high-achieving high school students. The hope is that mentoring will strengthen the student’s desire to go to college and ensure high school graduation.

To be paired with a Starfish Initiative college coach, a student first must qualify for the 21st Century Scholar program through the Indiana Department of Education. The 21st Century Scholar program provides low-income students with a full scholarship to a state college or university, provided they maintain good grades (a grade point average of 2.0 or above), agree not to use drugs or alcohol, agree not to engage in illegal activity, and apply to an Indiana college or university as a high school senior.

Carrie first learned about the program through Mr. Yuki. She qualifies for the 21st Century Scholar program, so she completed an essay for Starfish Initiative describing her current career goal of pediatric nursing. She was accepted into the program and assigned a mentor.

This fall, Carrie first met with mentor Barb Howe on neutral territory, the Starfish Initiative offices in downtown Indianapolis. Since then, they have tried to meet weekly.

“It’s helped a lot,” Carrie says with a smile. “It gives me somebody to talk to, somebody to express myself to.”

The pair meets regularly – and those meetings can take all kinds of forms. For example, this semester Carrie and Barb volunteered together at the IRT and watched a production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Sometimes, of course, the meetings are about the business of school. Carrie’s favorite subject is math, so at one meeting after Barb helped Carrie with some biology, Carrie proudly helped Barb brush up on some algebra.

Already, Carrie appreciates Barb’s involvement and help. “She cares a lot,” Carrie says.