2019 - A Reflection
Student Success Agency — December 2019
2019 was a great year for SSA and our students. We could not have made it without the hard work of our students, the dedication of our agents, and the incredible partnership with our schools. We are excited to share our student, school, and SSA accomplishments with you.
We had an awesome year with our agents, students, and school partners! Here is a breakdown of some of our accomplishments together in numbers:
We love to celebrate all the accomplishments of our students and their agents! We’ve had an awesome year filled with lots of events, programs, and achievements to celebrate! Here are just a few of our highlights from this year:
Student Achievements:
From college acceptances to scholarships awarded to internships and fellowships obtained, our students have knocked it out of the park this year! Here are just a few stories of the thousands of accomplishments of our students have had this year:
- Montana GEAR UP student was awarded the $20,000 Dell Scholars Scholarship in the spring with the support of her agent!
- USU Stars! GEAR UP student is attending Weber State University on a full-ride scholarship thanks to the work he and his agent put in with all of his college applications and entrance essays!
- Appalachian State University GEAR UP student was nominated for the Morehead Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill after her and her agent worked on the application together.
- GEAR UP Birmingham student wanted to get a summer job. She was lacking confidence after not having much luck with her job search. After getting an idea of what she wanted, she and her agent created a resume together, she applied in-person, and received a call back from an ice cream shop. The student and her agent did a mock interview over the phone and she landed the job!
- USU Stars! GEAR UP college student sought help from her agent. They strategized ways for her to get herself noticed in the modeling and acting industry. Her agent contacted multiple entertainment agencies and sent resources on networking and on acting and modeling techniques. Today, the student has been signed to a modeling agency, is booking modeling gigs, and is starring in her first horror movie role.
- Appalachian State University GEAR UP student is interested in law enforcement. His agent helped him contact the local police department to do a ride-along for a day!
- Daniela Gutierrez, a New Mexico native and first-generation college student, is on a journey to become a nurse practitioner in the emergency department — and she is doing it at no cost. CLICK HERE to read our interview with Daniela and see how her SSA Agent helped her attend college tuition-free!
We’re looking forward to tracking our students’ achievements even further this year so we can provide you with more information about your incredible students!
Former Students Become Agents
We had several former SSA students from different programs become Agents this year- including Kendall Montoya, Makade Talbot, Xakia Lacey, and Monica Montano.
CLICK HERE to watch a video about student turned agent Monica Montano.
Speaking on a National Stage
In May 2019, Kendall Montoya, former GEAR UP New Mexico SSA student turned Agent, brought to light the power of digital tools and their ability to broaden horizons for rural students at the Rural Access Summit. As a former Los Lunas High School student and now college student, Montoya spoke onstage with John B King, the CEO of Education Trust, about her successes in her journey through education. Rural New Mexico was no match for Kendall Montoya’s relentless efforts in achieving higher education.
“Growing up rural when my parents were younger meant they had to imagine how big the world was, but my generation, we know how big the world is and want to explore it.”
Makade Pairs Up with Student Success Agency
Makade Talbot is a former GEAR UP student from Utah who had a dream to become a magician. His agent, Brett, helped him turn those dreams into reality through networking and leadership opportunities, and now Makade attends Southern Utah University as a Presidential Ambassador with full-tuition scholarships and other scholarships stacked on top. Makade is also now an Agent with Student Success Agency and is able to share his expertise and knowledge with his students! CLICK HERE to watch a video of Makade’s story.
Agent Achievements
Agent Tania Nasrollahi was the valedictorian of her high school, and months after committing to her dream college, to no fault of her own, her financial aid package at her school fell through. She received an incredible scholarship at her second choice college but withdrew after just one week after feeling unsafe from hate crimes on campus. Still determined, she attended a community college back home in California where she participated in the Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and served as a leader for the Mock Trials team and Spectrum Club. She later conducted research through the competitive Community College to Ph.D. Scholars Program. From there, she was able to transfer to UCLA, where she is a Mellon Mays Fellowship Recipient, and a Lemelson Anthropology Honors Program researcher. This year she has been selected as a National Transfer Student Ambassador, just one of 5 nationally, and has been invited to speak at one of the largest transfer-centered conferences in the country in Atlanta in February 2020. CLICK HERE to read more about Tania’s award and her story!
Agent Jacob Smith experienced a life-changing event in 2014 when a distracted driver hit the school vehicle he was in head-on; leaving him with critical injuries including a traumatic brain injury. His perseverance led him to a career as a global road safety activist and speaker dedicated to engaging young people in global road safety. His recent work has led him to serving on a global taskforce for the 2nd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, and contributing to the National Safety Council as a subject matter expert. CLICK HERE to watch a video of Agent Jacob Smith’s story.
Agent Clara Akwarandu is a senior at The University of Texas at San Antonio majoring in Public Health. Clara’s north star is to improve access to healthcare for minority women and children in underserved locations. She envisions herself working behind the scenes to improve diversity in the healthcare workplace to better serve these populations and creating clinics and health education programs in local community centers. CLICK HERE to read about Clara’s accomplishments!
Summer 2019 Camp
Our agents and over 50 of our students from GEAR UP Georgia and GEAR UP Birmingham had an awesome time at our annual SSA Summer Camp.
Check out our Summer 19 Camp Recap Video HERE!
SSA Specialist Program
We kicked off our SSA Specialist Program in March of 2019! This program allows all of our students to have access to on-demand tutoring in any subject with our qualified specialists at no additional cost. We have had over 5,100 minutes of tutoring this year since we kicked off the program! CLICK HERE to learn more about our SSA Specialist Program and meet our Specialists!
SSA ICON Program
Our SSA ICON program continued in its second year in 2019! Representing 36 schools, we had 52 ICONs serving as SSA school ambassadors this year. Students from these 36 schools meet virtually on a monthly basis to network, learn, collaborate, and support SSA students at their schools. CLICK HERE to learn more about the SSA ICON Program.
SSA ICON DAY-
GEAR UP NEW MEXICO
In March, we were able to host an SSA ICON Day for our student ICONs in New Mexico! We gathered students, GEAR UP directors and coordinators, and SSA directors for a day of leadership and fellowship.
We created a vision for life to help students find their why, discussed all things college in a workshop called SSA’s Declassified College Survival Guide, and bonded over some fun ice-breaker games. It was awesome to see students and educators from all over the state network and collaborate!
Common Topics Discussed in 2019 Between Students & their Agents
Our students and their agents discussed everything from scholarships to sports. We started our new framework where our agents encourage their students to focus on their dreams and help craft a pathway with missions and objectives that will allow them to accomplish those dreams and goals. Here are the most common topics and themes discussed in 2019 in that framework:
- Academic Achievement & Progress
- Study Skills & Support
- Career Development & Professional Connections
- College Awareness & Preparation
- Financial Literacy & Planning
- Leadership Development & Life Skills
- Extracurricular Involvement & Achievements
- Goal Setting & Progression Towards Goals
- Personal Life & Daily Activities
Dallas United Way- The Pitch
EJ Carrion and SSA were invited to present our story at “The Pitch” for Dallas United Way. Thanks to all of your help, Student Success Agency WON THE VOTE for the United Way Social Innovator Award in Dallas! We also won 1st runner up for the PITCH for the Social Innovator Award- totaling $115k in funding for our students!
CEO of SSA is Featured on Goalcast
EJ Carrion, Student Success Agency CEO, was featured on Goalcast with over 27 million combined views for his story about how his mother’s boyfriend changed his life and inspired his passion for mentoring and helping others achieve success.
CLICK HERE to watch the video!
New Schools and Programs
We started working with 12 new programs and 67 new schools this year! From the beaches in Pensacola to the forests in Washington, we’ve really enjoyed working with all of our incredible school partners and we hope you’re a part of our 2020 story!
SSA Collaboration — Send us your success stories!
Have your students told you about any success stories with their agents? Do they have any accomplishments (big or small) that you would like us to share with the world? Did your school or program have a recent event worth celebrating?
Let us celebrate and share the great happenings in your school and program! Send us a link to your social media account or a short write up about your students so we can post them on our social media page below, or feature them in one of our Medium posts!
CONNECT WITH US- SSA Educator Facebook Page
We would love for you to join our SSA Educators Facebook Group HERE.
You can join from your personal, school, or program account, and the page is a space for our incredible educators of SSA to collaborate, innovate, share, and celebrate!
