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Peter Lynn ’69
“We want to continue to forge a
partnership with an organization that
is dedicated to supporting high school
students, especially those growing up in
a challenging environment, so they can
achieve their best,” said Welch, CEO at
AutoTrakk, a leading automobile leasing
company, who has served on Lycoming’s
Board of Trustees since 2007. “Dedicated
financial support from the College will
assist these students in benefitting from
a liberal arts education.”
Lynn, a Washington, D.C., area
business owner who has served on
the board for 14 years, agrees. “Both
Lycoming College and I strongly believe
all qualified high school students should
be provided the opportunity to pursue
an affordable college education.”
The scholarship will be given to a
KIPP freshman every fall and will fund
the student throughout his or her four
years at Lycoming.
The scholarship is only part of the
equation for KIPP students. Because
most of these students are the first in
their families to
go to college,
and can’t
necessarily
rely
upon their parents to
help them navigate the
channels of academic
life, the students are
enrolled in a mentoring
program for their first
two years.
“We realize that
learning happens in
the context of the
relationships students
build with faculty, staff
and their peers,” said
Andrew Kilpatrick,
associate dean of student
success and academic
services. “The mentoring
program is one of
the highlights of our
services, helping KIPP
students adapt to the
greater expectations of college life.”
Kilpatrick works with Jessica Hess,
director of admissions, and Dr. Dan
Miller, vice president for student life and
dean of students, to enroll and counsel
KIPP students.
The mentoring program entails
having Lycoming professors meet with
students individually and as a group
throughout each semester. These faculty
and professional staff advise them on
coursework and help them evaluate and
select a major, if they haven’t already
done so. They also organize a number
of activities tailored to the needs of
their group, like mini-classes on time
management and research skills,
introductions to campus resources
and social events like snow
tubing.
When discussing
the program’s success,
Kilpatrick thinks of
Naheem Height ’19, a
political science major
who is considering
working toward civil
rights for low-income
minorities. “For me,
KIPP has been a
lifesaver. Growing up in
Newark, N.J., I didn’t think college was
an option for me. Graduating from high
school alone was a major achievement
for someone in my circumstances — and
now I’m at Lycoming. None of this would
have been possible without KIPP.”
Another KIPP student, accounting
and finance major, Deborah Sharp
’18, discussed her passion for helping
first-generation college students and
minorities. “KIPP helped me change my
path by showing me that I had choices.
When I go home, I always visit KIPP
Baltimore to talk to students from
lower-income neighborhoods who don’t
think they have an opportunity to go to
college. KIPP has taught me that it’s all
in your mindset, and I try to help others
understand this.”
About three dozen KIPP alumni are
currently enrolled at Lycoming College.
The first scholarship was awarded to
Nathalie Montoya ’20 of Houston.
“This scholarship is a wonderful
addition to our school’s commitment to
making sure that everyone who dreams
of becoming a doctor, a lawyer or an
entrepreneur has a path toward their
goal,” said Kilpatrick.
For me, KIPP has
been a lifesaver ...
I didn’t think
college was an
option for me ...
and now I’m at
Lycoming.
KIPP has taught
me that it’s all
in your mindset,
and I try to
help others
understand this.
,,
Naheem Height
Deborah Sharp
15
www.lycoming.eduT H E CO L L E G E