Donor Update: MLK Day of Service, MTB on TV, and Sustaining Higher Educational Dreams

Dear Donors and Advocates,

It's February. The days are still short, dark, and cold, and there are a lot of challenges in the world. Our students are hard at work sustaining their higher educational dreams. They give us hope!

If you've been following our work and like what we do, now is the time to support us and our students.

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Options and Choices

Program Resource Fellow Melissa captured the moment above at the end of an MTB event when Ashley learned that she had been accepted to Vassar College.

How will Ashley pay for Vassar?

Vassar is a no-loan school. That means that Ashley will have her full cost of college covered. Vassar will meet all of Ashley's financial needs including tuition but also room and board, books, and travel. She will be able to graduate debt-free!

A significant part of our work in MTB is helping students understand that they have options and choices! Not all can or want to go to schools like Vassar. Our job is to support the students and their families in making informed decisions.

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MLK Day Event and Helping Others #DoTheFAFSA

Every year, we hold an event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year, we partnered with the Mayor's Youth Council. The young people put their financial aid training to work and helped students and families complete the FAFSA and the HESAA (for state aid). We are grateful for the partnership of Mayor Hector Lora and Vanesa Apeza, and a grant from One-by-One for t-shirts so we looked good!

Data Privacy and the FAFSA

The media has reported data privacy issues in relation to the FAFSA. While most of our students have already completed the FAFSA, they and others in Passaic are navigating uncharted waters in relation to the safety of the information they and their families shared in order to obtain financial aid. We are proud of how they have shown leadership on this issue. Their outstanding FAFSA completion work and their important voices were featured in the NJ Spotlight News article above.

READ THE ARTICLE

College Student Leader Nelsie and President Audrey appear on NJ Spotlight News

New Jersey Spotlight News 12’s Della Crews featured More Than Bootstraps over a series of 6 segments. Watch founder Audrey Fisch and MTB College Student Leader Nelsie Abreu discuss our mission and impact.

Conversations with a Latina Madrina

In January, Julissa S. Germosén visited with our College Student Leaders and talked about her new book, Latina Madrina. The special event began with a brief introduction by Roselyn, Program Resource Fellow, Fairleigh Dickinson University, BA and MA, May 25. Julissa shared words of wisdom about her journey as a groundbreaking Latina leader in tech and how she navigated personal and professional challenges. A lively question and answer period followed. Then Julissa took the time to speak individually with each of our students as she signed their books (everyone got a copy!).

Click on the link to see a snippet of this visit.

QuestBridge Scholar

Congratulations to Kelmys! Named a QuestBridge finalist in the fall, Kelmys participated in the National College Match and earned a comprehensive scholarship to Duke University. Kelmys is the third high school student in MTB to earn a coveted spot as a QuestBridge finalist, and the first to successfully match. Last year’s finalists, Jailene and Ashley, attend Seton Hall University and Cornell University.

2023-2024 IMPACT REPORT

In case you missed it, please check out our Impact Report and read about our successes in 2023-2024. We are very proud of what our students have achieved, with the support of our board, volunteers, and donors!

READ THE REPORT

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Audrey Fisch, Ph.D., President, More Than Bootstraps

audrey@morethanbootstraps.org | (908) 397-0893

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MTB was founded by educators who understand the significant obstacles that first-generation college students face on their journey into and through higher education.

To succeed, they need More Than Bootstraps