The Ayers Foundation’s Scholars program will expand to the Clay County Schools with hopes of giving more students post-secondary education opportunities.
Chief Scholars Officer Shawn Kimble said the program places trained counselors in schools to help students with career and college exploration. Kimble said the foundation wants to target rural counties who want to establish a college-going culture.
“Clay County was certainly interested in the Ayers Foundation and the work that we do,” Kimble said. “And they’ve been really trying to innovate and do great things within their school district, and we’re just hoping that we can come in and add to that.”
Kimble said the program will help students understand the college application and scholarship processes. Students in the program will be assisted from eighth grade until they are through with college or post-secondary training.
Kimble said eighth graders are exposed to the foundation and walked through some career exploration. As program students get into high school, services increase.
“We’re in constant contact their senior year, taking students on college tour visits so they can get on a school campus if they’ve never been,” Kimble said. “Sometimes, that’s the tipping point for some of our students. They see a college campus and they realize, ‘It’s a real place I can touch and feel and I can do it.'”
Kimble said there is a big need for programs like the Ayers Scholars Program in rural communities because some families are unfamiliar with all of the information, processes, and deadlines. Kimble said the program walks families through the complexities of getting ready for college.
“Sometimes in rural communities, the students that we serve are sometimes first generation college students,” Kimble said. “So maybe there isn’t a college-going culture in the home. When we talk about it being difficult, it’s unfamiliar to some of these families. And it certainly is attainable, so the challenge is just trying to break that cycle.”
Kimble said the Ayers Foundation team in the West Tennessee headquarters does a great job of keeping up with students’ financial aid and progress while they are in college.
Kimble said geographic barriers could separate rural students from college. He said some rural counties do not have any post-secondary programs or opportunities, so the foundation may work to bring them in. Kimble said transportation issues prevent some students from college.
Kimble said before his time at the foundation, he served as a school superintendent in Lauderdale County. He said most high paying jobs are hard to get without a college education.
“I’m not just talking about the living wage jobs, but the life changing wage jobs require some kind of post-secondary training,” Kimble said. “And so, I can’t underscore how important it is for our kids to become engaged with the college going process in Clay County and the 27 additional counties we serve across the state.”
The Ayers Foundation has been helping rural students access higher education since 1999. Kimble said the foundation tries to focus on at risk and distressed counties. The Ayers Scholars Program will begin next school year in Clay County.
