2023-2024 is underway, and so is MTB!

During the September Kickoff Full Group Meeting, our new Leaders, Jocelin, Manan, Lizet, Roselyn, Yessenia, and Jackie, shared some of their stories with us. Our senior High School Fellows shared some of their SMART goals - both personal and academic, and our Leaders introduced most of our new junior High School Fellows. It was inspiring to be together as a community of first-generation students empowering each other to access and succeed in higher education!

Our New College Students Leaders Shared Their Journeys to and in Higher Education at the Full Group Meeting

One Fellow reflected on the meeting:



"I loved hearing all the Leaders' stories and how they got to where they are now. It's really inspiring how much dedication everyone has. Sometimes I think that I haven't accomplished as much as I should have but hearing all the stories today made me proud of everything I have overcome and that I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for all the mistakes I made. I also loved hearing everyone's goals and how similar mine were."

Congratulations to Nelsie

MTB High School Fellow Nelsie has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania's Penn in Focus Program. PIF is a day-long in-person event for high-achieving, first-generation or low-income students.

Fly-in programs are typically free (Nelsie received a "travel sponsorship" that covered her travel expenses) and allow first-generation students to explore different institutions. These are a great way to visit an institution!

We can't wait to see what Nelsie learns and whether she returns thinking that Penn might be a good fit for her!

Meet the MTB 2023-2024 Support Team

Our Program Resource Fellows

Ayana Goodwin is a first-generation college graduate, who received her BA in sociology from Kean University in 2020.

She is currently at Rutgers University pursuing her Master’s in Social Work with an area of emphasis in mental and behavioral health. She aspires to become a therapist, offering clinical services specifically for people of color and underrepresented groups.

Ayana is also an early childhood educator with over seven years of experience. She recently started a new position as a kindergarten teacher in the Plainfield Public Schools.

Ayana served as a social work intern with More Than Bootstraps for the 2022-2023 academic year and is excited to return as a Program Resource Fellow for 2023-2024.

ayana@morethanbootstraps.org

Rogreka (Reka) Clayton began her journey with MTB in 2020, serving in the first cohort of College Student Leaders. In the first two years of the MTB program, she supported three High School Fellows, all of whom are now enrolled in higher education, while completing her BS in athletic training at William Paterson University.

In addition to being a proud first-generation college graduate, Reka just enrolled in a combined MPH/MBA program at Montclair University.

Reka plays an integral role in the ongoing development of MTB. This is her second year serving as Program Resource Fellow.

rogreka@morethanbootstraps.org

Our Rutgers Social Work Interns

My name is Nicole Orellana and I am also a first-generation college student! My college experience has been quite a journey. I enrolled at Middlesex County College for a psychology degree. Then, my stepdad received a great job opportunity that required us to move to Boston. My college journey continued there, where I decided that working with children was where I wanted to be. A year later, my stepdad got the same job opportunity back home, and we moved back! I received my associate degree in 2020 for general education at Middlesex County College.

Then, I decided that being a teacher was not for me, so I decided to go to Rutgers University for a bachelor's degree in social work with a minor in psychology. I’m currently one semester away from graduating! Working with children and mothers is one of my aspirations, and my goal is to work in child welfare or mental health and clinical social work. I’m excited to be working with More Than Bootstraps for the 2023-2024 academic year; this is a great team with an amazing purpose!

nicoleorellana@morethanbootstraps.org

Sussex Trinidad is currently a student in the field of social work. I immigrated from El Salvador to the United States when I was 15. It took me 20 years to finally reach this path of going to college and dedicating myself to achieving my degree.

As a young girl who had just immigrated, I chose the path of working and surviving without realizing how important education is and how much it can change my life and the lives of my family. If I had the opportunity to go back in time, I would definitely do things differently, but I'm grateful to be on this path now.

As they say, it's better late than never. I'm particularly grateful to a counselor I encountered in my school life. His name is Lafayette, and he believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. Most importantly, he gave me the tools to see all the positive things happening in my life and to keep reaching to better myself. In my free time, I love to shop and use coupons, but the most enjoyable thing is spending time with my family and practicing a little bit of self-care.



sussex@morethanbootstraps.org

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Coming Soon - Mark Your Planner!

Our second Full Group Meeting is on Saturday, October 14, at 10 AM (Zoom). We'll talk about Task 2 and also dip our toes into college finances.

Task 2:

• Junior Fellows are focused on communication and professionalism
• Senior Fellows are working on their SMART goals.

Congratulations to all the high school seniors who put themselves out there for the Gates and QuestBridge. Remember, rejection is to be expected and is redirection!

On Saturday, October 28, at 10 AM (Zoom), we will have an amazing guest speaker, for "Growing Up First-Gen and Mental Health."

Juliana Londoño is a proud Latina, bilingual, and licensed mental health therapist from Paterson, NJ. Her business focuses on the intersectionality of mental health and the Latino/BIPOC communities. She has collaborated with #WeAllGrow Latina and has been featured on Univision and NY Pix11 News. She is a community advocate and volunteers with America Needs You-NJ and Leading Young Women.

Check out her website: 

www.juliana-londono.com.

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