Earlier this summer, Florida C.A.N.! visited students in Naples and Miami to record their stories of being the first in their families to attend college. On camera, these promising college students and recent grads spoke movingly about the mentors and organizations that aided them in finding scholarships, navigating the application process and helping them realize their dreams.
On the campus of Miami-Dade College’s Kendall Campus, we caught up with Kendra Walker and John Lopez. Both overcame teenage years marked by homeless shelters and foster placements to obtain degrees from major Florida universities.
With assistance from Educate Tomorrow, both students were able to take advantage of Florida’s tuition waivers for homeless and foster youth. Walker knocked out a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida while Lopez formalized his love of art and drawing with a dual enrollment degree in graphic design from the University of Florida and Miami’s New World School of the Arts.
Over this week, we’ll hear from alumni of Take Stock in Children and Champions for Learning in Naples, as they navigate their college careers along Florida’s gulf coast. Stay tuned.