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The deadline for seniors to apply for Tennessee Promise is Nov. 2. To apply visit www.tnpromise.gov Mentors for Tennessee Promise students will be recruited through Nov. 20. To learn more about being a mentor and to apply visit www.tnachieves.org/mentor-application
This spring, Blake Bozarth sent texts reminding four seniors at the Howard School to fill out their college scholarship applications before the deadline.
He chatted with the boys about basketball and the music playing from their phones, but he said the real intention behind these interactions was to hold the seniors accountable to walking across the stage at graduation.
Bozarth, director of enterprise risk management at Unum, said he knew the opportunity these students had if they graduated and were able to take advantage of Tennessee Promise - becoming the first in their families to attend college.
On Tuesday, Bozarth encouraged his co-workers at Unum to consider being mentors - like he was and will be again this year - with Tennessee Promise. This scholarship program leverages lottery money to cover the "last dollar" cost of earning a two-year degree at any of the state's community and technical colleges. The program removes the financial barriers that prevent many students from considering college after graduation.
"The [time] investment here is not extravagant, but the potential impact and the return on it is huge," Bozarth said to his co-workers. "Think about investing individually in these kids' lives, and how can that impact them and their life trajectory."
Mike Krause, executive director of Tennessee Promise, told the group gathered in Unum's atrium how "financial aid isn't enough," and "mentorship is the key that makes this program work."
Tennessee Promise pairs high school seniors - many who are first-generation college students - with mentors who can help them through the process. Hamilton County needs another 140 mentors to meet its goal of 431. Statewide, more than 9,000 mentors are being recruited this year.
The mentor's job is to be a resource for students as they navigate the often complicated college application process, said Graham Thomas, director of community partnerships at tnAchieves, a nonprofit that works to recruit mentors.
Thomas said his small staff of 17 could not handle the caseload of more than 50,000 Tennessee students who already have applied for Tennessee Promise this year, and mentors play a crucial role in helping students through the process.
Alex Lewis, who works in the contact center at Unum, said she is interested in becoming a mentor.
"I was the first in my family to go to college," Lewis said. "I had to figure it out on my own."
Lewis said she remembers how daunting the process was, and thinks that being a mentor for a few Tennessee Promise students will be a way she can meet a tangible need.
"There is a big world outside of Unum, and I think it's important we're involved in it," she said as she filled out her mentor application - in ink.
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.
Graham Thomas of Tennessee Achieve speaks to Unum employees gathered at an event at the company's atrium on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn., to encourage them to sign up to be mentors to help with Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Achieve.