Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools March/April 2019 | Page 6

UCPS and Wingate University partner to provide full scholarships for middle and high school students
On Feb. 22, in
a crowded banquet
room at Wingate
University, 20 Health
Sciences Academy
at Monroe Middle
and East Union
Middle students
made history.
The eighth
graders were officially
inducted in the
inaugural class of the
Wayfind program,
a first-of-its-kind
partnership between
UCPS and Wingate
University that pairs
middle and high
school students with
Wingate University
mentors to prepare
them for college. The
young students were
recognized by UCPS
senior leadership,
Board of Education
members, Wingate University staff, their mentors, community
members and parents.
And then Wingate University President Dr. Rhett Brown made
his groundbreaking announcement.
“We hope students who graduate from this program get
competing scholarships from NC State or Wake Forest University
to study astrophysics or whatever their heart desires. However,
we selfishly would love if each and every one of you would enroll
at Wingate University,” he said. “To at least sweeten the pot, for
all the students who successfully complete the program, we are
offering full ride tuition scholarships to Wingate University for
four years.”
In other words, each of the 20 Monroe Middle and East
Union Middle students will be eligible to receive $140,000 to
cover the school’s four-year tuition cost – a staggering $2.4
million investment into the inaugural Wayfind Class of 2019. As
new eighth graders enter the Wayfind program each year, that
investment will only continue to swell as it opens doors
for students.
What this means, UCPS Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan
told the crowd, is that Wayfind scholars have been given the gift
of college and a promise of a better future – a gift and promise
that doesn’t happen to but a select few people in this country.
That sentiment was not lost on the students and parents who
burst into applause upon hearing the announcement.
“I’m going to be the first person to go to college in my
family and that makes me and my parents proud. This is a big
opportunity and my parents are happy that I have an opportunity
that they did not have because of financial reasons,” Monroe
Middle student Selina Taylor said. “I’m happy and my family is
4 • Mar/Apr 2019 • Parent Teacher Magazine 
happy because we
know that my future
is going to be a
good one.”
Offered to
potential first-
generation college
students at East
Union and Monroe
Middle schools,
students accepted
into the Wayfind
program were
required to submit
an essay. Their
grades, behavior,
PSAT scores and
attendance records
were also taken into
consideration.
Now that they
are officially in the
program, the eighth
graders will meet
with their mentors
twice a week to
create a road map
for college planning. In addition to discussing career options,
college costs and resources for SAT and ACT prep, the students
will also visit colleges and universities and learn about financial
aid options.
“This is a huge opportunity for our scholars, and we call
them scholars because we want them to feel empowered and
know they’re not just students. They are truly scholars,” Wingate
University senior Andrew Elliott said. “I joined this program as a
mentor because I want to be a role model for younger students.
This is a great opportunity and one that will bring the school
district and university even closer together.”
As the students milled around the room taking pictures,
conversations often drifted to what they planned to study when
they enroll in college – options that some said previously felt out
of reach because of the financial reasons.
East Union Middle students Carson Corley and Anahi Martinez-
Ramirez want to pursue a career in the medical field. Monroe
Middle student Jorge Gutierrez said he wants to pursue a career
in the information technology field.
“It’s good to start pointing them to the future. I’m happy that
the students know that people are investing in them and they are
not alone,” Jorge Gutierrez Sr. said. “It’s good for them to know
that the school district and the university are here to support them.”
As the guests and students started to leave the luncheon,
Houlihan reiterated just how much of a historic moment this is for
the school district and the university.
“I just talked to a dad who said, ‘I live right down the road
from Wingate University. This is going to happen for my child,’”
Houlihan said. “I see a lot of commitment from our students and
a lot of commitment from our parents. This is an exciting day.”