Wallin Education Partners Provide $96,000 for College

This month, six Genesys Works young professionals received news that each will receive $16,000 to use towards their college education. All six were selected based on their academic excellence, motivation, and leadership. As part of the requirements for our College and Career Connections Program, all students have been applying to scholarships; each has a goal of completing 15 scholarship applications before graduating from high school. As a reward, these six students have been named Wallin Scholars. Congratulations to our list of winners:

 

 Armani Black                    Bonsa Tilahun                  Janet Phetsamone

Gina Xiong                                         Jeanetta Langhorne                                           Xai Ly

 Armani Black, intern at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, senior at Johnson High School

Bonsa Tilahun, intern at Medtronic, senior at Columbia Heights High School

Janet Phetsamone, intern at Allina Hospitals and Clinics, senior at Roosevelt High School

Gina Xiong, intern at University of Minnesota, senior at Brooklyn Center High School

Jeanetta Langhorne, intern at Travelers Insurance, senior at Humboldt High School

Xai Ly, intern at Faegre Baker Daniels, senior at Minneapolis North High School

Below, three scholars share their college plans and gratitude for the generosity from the Wallin Education Partners:

Armani Black: I plan to go to the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management where I will major in Business Administration. The community, including the Wallin Education Partners, has given to me in more ways than just scholarships. I plan to start an initiative to help students transition from high school to college when I get older. Many students don’t have money or resources leaving high school because the scholarship money will go directly to the school in the fall.

Bonsa Tilahun: I plan to go to the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities to become a mechanical engineer or software developer. Wallin Education Partners has inspired me to be work harder and one day own my own company and be able to give the same opportunity the Wallin has given me.

Xai Ly: I plan on going to the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. I imagine my Wallin advisor helping me by giving me advice on what to do while I’m in college, helping me find resources, and leading me down the right path. Wallin inspires me to give back to the community by making me want to help others in the future, who are in situations like mine – people who are having trouble finding the right resources for them and who are struggling financially.

Thanks to scholarships from the Wallin Education Partners, the students can focus on their studies, rather than worrying about how to pay for college. For 20 years, the organization has awarded scholarships to 3,000 economically disadvantaged students from partnered school in the metro area. As one solution to addressing the gap between the number of jobs requiring a post-secondary education and the number of college graduates in Minnesota, Wallin Education Partners is providing scholarship recipients with financial assistance and comprehensive advising. With a 90% retention rate and 75% graduation rate from four-year colleges, Wallin Education Partners will have a huge impact on the success of the six Genesys Works young professionals.