Blog Dawson Promise by Ryan Slaton
I began my service at Dawson Community College in Glendive, Montana in February. Being from Baton Rouge, Louisiana it has taken some time to get use to the cold and snow. I am adapting very well. For the past six weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know our eight students in our program. Dawson Promise provides services for students facing homelessness, unaccompanied, or have aged out of foster care. The program gives these students the chance to earn an associate’s degree free of charge. Most students with these backgrounds do not have the opportunity to attend college. .The program gives students the opportunity to attend college. When students graduate they are debt free and have zero student loans. This program is the only one of its kind in Montana. This program is funded by grants from different foundations.
Most of our students are first generation college students. They live in dorms, attend sporting events on campus, enjoy meals in our cafeteria, and experience everything that college life has to offer. Our students get to meet people from different cultures, backgrounds, and diversities. They get to meet people from different states and countries quickly becoming friends with those they meet. The eight students gain lifelong friendship with each other.
Dawson Promise gives these students the stepping stones to succeed in life. Students gain valuable experience through one on one meeting with staff and professors. The students know our staff is just and email or phone call away from helping in any way possible. Our eight students meet as a group once a month to share joys and concerns. During the monthly meetings we have guest speakers to talk about finances, health care, and various programs that the city of Glendive has to offer.
We have just recently finished some awesome projects for our students. Our projects included making scholarship excel spreadsheets for each student. The spreadsheets have monthly deadlines, scholarship amounts, GPA requirements, and categories of over 50 different scholarships. The students can apply for the scholarships that fit their needs and majors. The other projects included weekly study hall times that fit our students’ academic schedules. Students are set up with the Glendive Food Bank. Our cafeteria is closed on the weekends. This gives our students the opportunity to get nutritional foods that will last them the weekend.
Dawson Promise has taught me that no matter what your background is or what hometown you come from given a chance you will succeed. Dawson Community College gives our students in the program a chance to experience college life, graduate with an associate’s degree, transfer to a 4 year school, and gain meaningful employment. Our students move on the four year universities all over the country, Dawson Promise gives students the ability to live out lifelong dreams of graduating from college and living productive lives. Everyone only needs to be given a chance to succeed.
Below is a link to an article written about the Dawson Promise program in the local Glendive newspaper.