SEMESTER 1 EDITION | FALL 2021
Welcome Take Stock Class of 2025! Joining our Seminole County program are 27 motivated freshmen, who will benefit from weekly mentor sessions, skill-building workshops, and the support of a Take Stock College Success Coach. These scholars will all be first generation college students and will receive a 2-year Florida Prepaid tuition scholarship at graduation!
Student Spotlight - Andrea Alvarez
“Take Stock in Children has helped keep me motivated to do better each year in school and keep my grades up for a great college opportunity.”

Meet Andrea - a 12th grader attending Lyman High School. She's a four-year member of the band and plays both trombone and tuba! Andrea is also on the school's lacrosse team. Andrea balances school, sports and band, all while earning over a 3.5 GPA. Andrea is paired with mentor Cindy Johnston, who she says is "wonderful to talk to and share my high school journey with. She always listens and supports me in every possible way."
Andrea plans to study school psychology and is currently working on college applications for University of North Florida, University of Central Florida and Seminole State College. Thanks to the support of her mentor and Take Stock, Andrea is prepared and excited to start college with a Take Stock scholarship!
Mentor Spotlight - Mike Benfanti
“The best advice I could share with a new mentor is to be a good listener. It's impossible for me to understand what is on my mentee's mind if I do all of the talking. I like to prepare a couple of questions before each session. I also ask my mentee to let me know if there is anything he would like to discuss. This gives me insight into what he is curious about, concerned about, stressed about, happy about or interested in.” 
Since 2018, Mike Benfanti has served as a Take Stock mentor at Seminole High School. The timing was serendipitous - Mike had been involved with another mentoring program in Buffalo decades ago and was ready to start in Florida. At the same time, he learned of the Take Stock program from Beth Arigo at a youth soccer game and joined Team Take Stock soon after.

Mike describes his mentee Malcom as an intelligent, funny, personable young man. He shares, "One of the things I enjoy most about our conversations is his honesty. I never get the feeling he is telling me what he thinks I would like to hear. He tells me how it is - good, bad or indifferent. Honesty with others and with oneself is a big part of growth, self improvement and success."

Mike is proud of his mentee and very excited about his future as he prepares to graduate high school and pursue a college education with the Take Stock in Children scholarship. It certainly was good fortune that that brought Mike together with Malcom and Take Stock. Thank you Mike for changing a deserving student's life as a dedicated Take Stock mentor!
Alumni Spotlight - Jalynn McClarin

Advice to Take Stock students:

"Please prioritize your mental health! There is a lot of pressure on you right now from what seems to be coming from every direction. You need to be in the right headspace and take care of yourself in order to be the best student or person you can be."
After graduating from Lake Howell High School in 2017, Jalynn headed to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to study Elementary Education. Jalynn is in her final year of college, but was given the opportunity to forego the traditional student teaching process and serve as a full-time teacher. Jalynn loves teaching and says it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in her college career. Jalynn hopes to continue teaching at a school with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. During college, Jalynn also stayed connected with Take Stock and was selected as a College Ambassador to advise Take Stock graduates attending FAU from across Florida!

Jaylynn credits Take Stock for helping her grow by learning to talk realistically about the future with her mentor. She also found she enjoyed her senior year of high school more, as she wasn't constantly worrying about what her future would look like and how to pay for college. Take Stock's investment to provide deserving low-income students with mentors and scholarships creates hope for a brighter future. We are glad to know that Jalynn will be in the classroom inspiring a love of learning in the next generation of students!
CHANGE A LIFE!
We're looking for mentors to join us in guiding our students through our program and high school! Fall semester mentor meetings are being held virtually. Just 30 minutes a week is all it takes to provide a student with support, guidance, and encouragement. Contact Beth Arigo or call 407-320-0301 to learn how you can change a deserving student's life as a dedicated Take Stock mentor!  Learn more about the impact of a mentor.
Our Mission
Take Stock in Children, Inc. is a nonprofit organization, transforming Florida one student at a time. Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty for low-income, academically qualified students by providing opportunities for a post-secondary education. We offer college scholarships to students, provide caring volunteer mentors, and instill hope for a better life. 

The Foundation for SCPS mission is to improve student achievement in Seminole County Public Schools by: raising and distributing funds and in-kind donations; fostering involvement in schools by business and the community; and providing recognition and rewards for outstanding contributions to, and performance within, the school system.
Changing Lives with Scholarships, Mentors & Hope!