Isabelle & Que Chi - An Alray Scholar Program mentor and scholar team

"Im a friend, but I am there to help out and support you." (Isabelle, Alray Scholar) Alray Scholars are very grateful for the mentors who take time from their days to give to them. It pushes the Scholar to excel, knowing that someone, somewhere is holding them accountable. #massMentoring #Alray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4JmGCbC-e8

HoodFit

Please join Thaddeus Miles, founder of HoodFit, and Alray Advisory Board Member on September 10 for a fun filled day

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A big thank you to Michele Carroll and Mike Larsson of Match Beyond. We appreciate your efforts in assisting Alray scholars find employment after graduation. #Matchbeyond #return2school #alrayscholars

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As word about Alray has spread, the demand for our services has spiked. We just accepted a record 9 scholars from our June 2016 application cycle, and look forward to welcoming more scholars from our October 15, 2016 cycle. Moreover, as we’ve strengthened our level of support, notably with the hiring of part-time program director Janet Altman thanks to a grant from the Cummings Foundation, we’ve seen an impressive jump in our student retention rate. More students are being admitted into the Alray program, and the program is helping many more of them remain on track to graduation. None of this progress would have been possible without the generous support of our donors and foundation partners. Check The Alray Newsletter for more information. #CummingsFoundation #givingcommon #Forestfoundation #LennyZakimFund #Lewisfamilyfoundation alray.org

Lissette: What Being an Alray Scholar Means to Me

What Being an Alray Scholar means? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWiU1DdSEuU #Alray

What Being An Alray Scholar Means to me? Lisette shares the moment she became an Alray Scholar. Through the Alray Scholars Program many BPS graduates are able to go back to college with less of a financial burden.

We, at Alray Scholars Program are very grateful for all our mentors who give their time to our Scholars because of your help our Alray Scholars achieve their goals. "Many people want to give back to their community but face the barriers of everyday life. Alray’s unique mentoring model gives people flexibility to participate in a mentoring program (on their own time) with youth who have a clear goal – to improve their lives by returning to college. It’s very appealing." (Nate Baum from Mass Mentoring) Check alray.org for more information on Mass Mentoring and the Alray Scholars Program. #MassMentoring #AlrayScholars

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We, at Alray Scholars Program are very grateful for all our mentors who give their time to our Scholars because of your help our Alray Scholars achieve their goals. "Many people want to give back to their community but face the barriers of everyday life. Alray’s unique mentoring model gives people flexibility to participate in a mentoring program (on their own time) with youth who have a clear goal – to improve their lives by returning to college. It’s very appealing." (Toney Thompson) Check alray.org for more information on Mass Mentoring and the Alray Scholars Program. #MassMentoring #AlrayScholars

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Givaughn Jones was on the right track when he enrolled in community college after graduating from West Roxbury High School in 2011. He knew he wanted to continue his education and earn a degree. But he hadn’t thought through the financial demands of college. “I just really didn’t get financial aid,” the 23-year-old Dorchester native said. “My family wasn’t really educated on what we needed to do.” Financial hardship drove him out of school after just one semester, and he took a job as a transportation driver for people with disabilities. Then, he ran into Alray alumni scholar Cori Boston at a basketball game, and Cori urged him to apply to the Alray Scholars Program. Givaughn enrolled in MassBay Community College in 2012, earning his Associate’s degree with the help of the Alray program. He then transferred to Fitchburg State University, and graduated this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He is currently working with Match Beyond, through Alray, to find a position in business or finance. He said he benefited from the organization’s resources and frequent conversations with his mentor, Nick, who gave him advice he wasn’t receiving elsewhere. “I think the biggest piece I took from the program was that it taught me to network and advocate for myself,” he said. “I learned to go out and get help. It was a good experience.” “I’ve already recommended the program to a couple of my peers,” he said. “There’s a lot of guidance and support here, which is great when you’re in college.” #AlrayScholar

Alray Scholars Program: Mentors & Mentees Share Their Experiences

"The Financial aid was the last barrier for me." - Rachel Regis, Alray Scholar. In the video below, hear from Alray Scholars and Mentors on the importance of their relationship. Many students do not return to college due to the financial strain, but take a look at how the Alray Scholars Program has helped these scholars! #Alray #MassMentoring http://ow.ly/DweZ302A9xJ

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Mentoring is a key component of the Alray Scholars Program. Isabelle, was QueChi's mentor for two years and is thrilled that QueChi has graduated. Merci beaucoup, Isabelle. "Mentoring is a special and lasting relationship, a warm and shining spot in one’s heart one can always visit. I’ve benefitted from mentors and I thought helping someone else would enrich my life too. My Alray Scholars Program mentee QueChi returned to school full-time and she amazes me with her courage, determination and resilience. I’m experiencing a wonderful sense of holding someone’s hand, to see her through." — Isabelle Cazales-Evans, Alray Scholars Program mentor and Senior Business Analyst at Eaton Vance #AlrayScholars #MassMentoring

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Like so many Boston students, QueChi’s college dream was interrupted by financial and personal struggles. QueChi who grew up in Dorchester and graduated from Boston Latin Academy in 2009, enrolled in Wheaton College after high school. But she left after a year, because “tuition became too expensive for me.” It was a hard time, with her family uncertain about her future, she said. They had always expected she would go to college. In 2012, she tried again – this time at Quincy College. She connected with the Alray Scholars program through staff at Upward Bound, which she attended as a teen. She then transferred to UMass Boston, and graduated this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. QueChi is currently working as developmental specialist in an early intervention program run by South Shore Mental Health, where she previously interned. QueChi credits Alray and her “amazing” mentor Isabelle for “basically giving me a way to go back to school. Having people that supported you all the way through and know you could do it was amazing.” She and Isabelle tried to meet as often as possible and spoke on the phone, as well. “She’s worldly, she’s experienced life and she knows what’s going on in the world. She was able to give me such good advice,” QueChi said. “She gave me an outside perspective, and that’s really needed sometimes.” She also appreciated that Isabelle, who is French, understood her experience as an immigrant; QueChi came to the U.S. with her parents from Vietnam when she was 2. “Family is really important to us, and we both had to deal with issues of acculturation.” She’s grateful to the entire Alray family, she said. “Everyone is so open to helping you. It’s kind of difficult to find a place like that, especially in an urban city. “Everyone in the program serves as model of what life could be, if you have the right opportunities and take advantage of those opportunities.”