Donor Update: Our Fifth Year!

Dear Donors and Advocates,

It's back to school - for our 17 new junior High School Fellows, 16 returning senior High School Fellows, and 17 new and returning College Student Leaders, 8 of whom are former High School Fellows. That's right - we are now serving 50 new and returning students!

2024-2025 COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERS

New College Students Leaders for the 2024-25 Academic Year

Returning College Student Leaders

PROGRAM RESOURCE FELLOWS

Lisbeth (Kamila) Gell (Kean University) and Melissa Reyes (Dartmouth College), two outstanding College Student Leaders, have taken on the role of Program Resource Fellow. Lisbeth and Melissa have served as MTB College Student Leaders for three years. This summer, they led the MTB Summer Training Program for College Student Leaders. In addition, they spearheaded the MTB Summer Program for rising senior High School Fellows. As rising college seniors, they will continue to take on new responsibilities within MTB over the upcoming academic year.

#DREAMHIGHER2025

Help us help our students continue to #DreamHigher as they pursue their academic and professional goals and strive to take advantage of the opportunities their parents did not have.

SUPPORT MTB

SUMMER PROGRAM FOR RISING SENIORS

Program Resource Fellows Melissa and Kamila led our summer program for rising seniors. The program included discussion of Jennine Capó Crucet's amazing novel about the experience of a first-generation student who goes off to a fictional, elite Rawlings College; essay writing; work on the Common App; completion of the FAFSA estimator; and work on college lists.

One student wrote: "I feel like I have a lot of resources at hand so I'm not so nervous for senior year.

Melissa and Kamila also piloted our use of Campground, a new learning management system, thanks to support from the Arman N. Roy Foundation. Thanks also to Macmillan Publishers for generously donating copies of our summer reading text!

GOVERNOR'S HISPANIC FELLOWS

College Student Leader Michelle Carpintyero is our fourth MTB Leader to complete the Governor's Hispanic Fellows Program. Michelle interned at Bristol Myers Squibb in IT Validation. MTB also hosted two fellows, Maria Posada and Judiht Hilares. We congratulate these students on building their skills and their networks.

Judiht

Maria

Michelle

SUMMER FAFSA COMPLETION WORK

MTB’s College Student Leaders and High School Fellows engaged in the FAFSA Summer Completion Campaign, supported by a $27,500 award from Educational Credit Management Corporation, part of the nationwide FAFSA Student Support Strategy project. The students completed extended FAFSA training and organized and held numerous FAFSA information and completion events, including at Passaic's graduation rehearsal and with partner Passaic County Community College. The work, featured in several media pieces, built on the MTB model: putting resources in the hands of students so they have time and space to work together and empower each other.

New Jersey Spotlight News featured interviews with MTB President Audrey Fisch and College Student Leaders Roselyn Muñoz and Alyssa Tentle in a piece focused on FAFSA completion in New Jersey.

LOOKING BACK WITH GRATITUDE

As our new and returning students take on the new school year, we know challenges lie ahead. Congratulations to our 10 2024 High School Fellows (off to Rutgers University, Ramapo College, Monmouth Unversity, Passaic County Community College, and Cornell University) and Leader Lisberma (Vassar College, '24). 2024 Grads, you continue to inspire us!

THANK YOU TO GENEROUS DONORS AND FOUNDATIONS

We couldn't do this without you! We are grateful to Blue Foundry Charitable Foundation, Focus For Health Foundation, an Anonymous Family Foundation, the Laurie K. Meyers Foundation, and the IECA Foundation for recent awards. Donor and foundation support allow us to fund our student stipends and give our students time and space away from their other financial responsibilities to come together to create a community of success.

SUPPORT MTB

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