Scholar's passion for numbers leads to career
Disinterest in high school turned to determination in college
By Juanica Armstrong, CollegeBound Scholar
 My years in college have been marked by my dedication, motivation, determination, and academic success. However, I have not always shown these characteristics. When attending Western High School, I had a low GPA and no intentions of going to college, and my future looked unpromising. Then I met April Bell, a specialist from CollegeBound. She inspired me to go to college and helped me find financial aid. After graduating from high school in 2006, I decided to create a better future for myself!
After my second semester at Frostburg State University, I decided to major in accounting. When many people hear "accounting", they think "boring" because they imagine endless columns of meaningless numbers. However, accounting is more than counting numbers. You have to understand the significance of the numbers and their impact on a company's success. I chose this field because it was so versatile (there is forensic, management, and many other types of accounting). I am choosing to work as an auditor because I will work with many different businesses. This summer I will intern at KPMG, an international accounting firm, to prepare for my career in public accounting.
I am graduating in May 2010 and will then take the rigorous CPA exam. I look forward to a career as an auditor at a public accounting firm. I believe my education at Frostburg has prepared me for a successful and happy life, and support from the CollegeBound Foundation allowed me to pursue that education.
Juanica is a junior at Frostburg State University, majoring in accounting and minoring in business administration and information technology. Juanica has maintained a 4.0 GPA for four out of the five semesters she has completed at Frostburg and she boasts a 3.8 cumulative GPA.
Photo courtesy of Juanica Armstrong. |
Race for the Future winners
CollegeBound's 5K run raised awareness
CollegeBound Foundation's first annual Race for the Future, held April 4, drew over 200 runners and raised awareness for our mission of helping Baltimore City public high school students acheive their dream of higher education. Though blustery and a bit chilly, it was a beautiful morning and a great day for our inaugural 5K benefit race!
Dan Cameron, 17, said, "I thought it would be nice to donate and help kids for the future" while staying in shape. Dan, a track student at Meade High School in Fort Meade, MD, placed first in his age group for the race, and plans to attend college on a track scholarship.
"The number of runners that supported this event far surpassed our expectations," said Alisa Rock, Coordinator of the event for CollegeBound. "We're hoping to continue to grow this event into a major fundraiser to help send even more Baltimore City public school students to college." People interested in volunteering on next year's Planning Committee for the race are encouraged to contact CollegeBound at 410-783-2905.
Sorry you missed the big day? Don't worry! You have a whole year to prepare for next April's race, scheduled for April 10, 2010.
2009 Race for the Future winners:
Overall Female
First place: Melissa MacEfe, Cockeysville
Second place: Lisa Shirk, Baltimore
Third place: Tasha Veit, Baltimore
Overall Male
First place: Neville Anderson, Baltimore
Second place: Chris Decamps, Baltimore
Third place: Greg Skipper, Baltimore
Age Groups (female & male first place only)
1--15: Lauren Woods, Phoenix, MD | Elijah Guiliano, Sparks, MD
16--19: Rebecca Diggs, Severna Park | Dan Cameron, Severn
20--29: Nikki Popovich, Baltimore | Ray Clement III, Kenner, LA
30--39: Laree Tracy, Baltimore | Gregg Ford
40--49: Jeanette Nazarian, Catonsville | Eric Burris, Owings Mills
50--59: Susan Larson, Baltimore | Richard Bett, Baltimore
60--69: Jeanette Novak, Damascus, MD | Wilson Trueheart, Baltimore
Photo by Brittany Harper
CollegeBound's 2009 Race for the Future was sponsored by WBFF Fox 45, Lisa Higgins Foundation, Merritt Athletic Club, Rosedale Federal Savings & Loan Association, Mariner Finance, McCormick & Company, Inc., Du Burns Arena, Gable Signs, Gatorade, and Seawall Development Company. |
| CollegeBound student wins essay contest
A partnership with Priceless Gown Project helps local high school girls attend prom and save cash for college
In an effort to help financially strapped young women attend their prom and save money for college, the CollegeBound Foundation has partnered with the Priceless Gown Project for the third year. The Priceless Gown Project is a free event open to local high school girls to "shop" for a free prom dress. This was the fifth annual event and over 500 anxious participants waited in line on Saturday, March 7 to "shop" for gowns. Some girls arrived as early as 2 a.m. to stake a spot in line. While the girls waited they had the opportunity to participate in an essay contest to win a Dream Prom Night, which consisted of dinner at the Marriott Inner Harbor, a chauffeured town car and flowers for the prom.  Gareceshia Aur, a senior at New Era Academy, arrived at 7 a.m. to stand in line for her chance to snag a dress. She won the contest with her essay about family hardships, school, and a dream night at prom. Gareceshia lives with her parents and two nieces in a recently rented apartment, and has been working part time since she was 16 to help with her family's expenses. In her essay she wrote: "[My mother] is trying to save up money so that she can rent out a home [...] so her grandchildren do not have to stay on the streets." Gareceshia feels that prom is important because it will be one of her last chances "to be with my closest friends." She is thankful to the Priceless Gown project, since without it, she would not have the money to go to prom. She also looks forward to seeing the look on each girl's face as she enters the prom because it is the one day when you just "feel beautiful." With a 3.42 GPA, Gareceshia plans to attend Towson University in the fall and major in Mass Communication. She hopes to one day work in Entertainment Journalism. CollegeBound encourages the girls to use the money they saved on a dress for tuition fees and any college-related expenses. | |
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More About Us
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Program Highlight:
COLLEGE TOURS
CollegeBound offers a variety of college tours throughout the school year that give our students the opportunity to set foot on a college campus. Last week, 30 students participated in the 2009 All Male Consider Maryland College Tour. The four-day overnight road trip featured 8 diverse schools: the United States Naval Academy, Frostburg State University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Hood College, McDaniel College, and Salisbury University. Each student was required to fill out at least three applications with transcripts attached and perform a self-assessment of their transcripts prior to the tour date. Nearly all of the young men who attended the tour will be the first in their family to go to college.
In addition to our twice yearly overnight college tours, CollegeBound offers day trips in both the fall and spring at no cost to our students. This month and in May, we will take ten groups of students from each of our 28 high schools to ten local colleges and universities where they will have the opportunity to take a tour of the campus, meet admissions representatives, have lunch in the dining halls, and see what college life is really like.
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