On this episode of The Higher Ed Shift, we are joined by Nadja Jepsen, Financial Programs and Scholarships Senior Director at College Track, a national nonprofit organization serving first-generation students of color from low-income communities.
Together, we dive into the topic of scholarship displacement, its impact on students, and the ability for external scholarship providers to fulfill their mission.
We end the conversation with a discussion about the pending legislation that is looking to educate students about displacement and discourages colleges from the practice.
About Nadja Jepsen
Nadja has worked in the scholarship field since early 2015 and was a scholarship recipient herself.
In addition to her work at College Track, Nadja is also an active member of the National Scholarship Providers Association and has presented on scholarship displacement multiple times bringing awareness to what scholarship displacement is, why it happens, and strategies to mitigate it.
About College Track
College Track is a national nonprofit organization serving first-generation students of color from low-income communities. Our 10-year program supports them through high school and until they graduate with a bachelor's degree. Our work is rooted in educational equity and racial justice, setting the stage for our students to thrive in careers where people of color have been historically underrepresented. Today, we serve more than 3,000 high school and college students at 12 centers across the country.
All College Track students have an advisor that supports them in college and 100% of our scholars receive at least one scholarship from us. We have 2x the national graduation rate for low-income and first-generation students. 89% of our students take out less than $30k in loans, with 33% graduating loan debt-free.
To learn more about College Track: www.collegetrack.org
To learn more about the national bill for scholarship displacement contact Kalwis Lo, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Scholarship America, at [email protected]
If you are a scholarship provider or work in a college financial aid or scholarship office, check out: https://www.scholarshipproviders.org
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