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HANCOCK, MI – AmeriCorps member Kevin
Korte is working with Finlandia University and a
number of local, regional, state, and federal
agencies to accelerate a college-positive
culture in the western Upper Peninsula of
Michigan counties of Houghton, Keweenaw, and
Ontonagon.
To help accomplish this,
Korte is recruiting and training Finlandia
University and Michigan Tech students, as well
as BHK AmeriCorps members and volunteer-mentors
from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western
U.P., as College Positive Volunteers, or
“Navigators.”
“The Navigators are
college students and other community volunteers
who believe the completion of post-secondary
education is an attainable goal for area
students,” Korte says, stressing that
post-secondary opportunities include four-year
colleges and universities, two-year community
and junior colleges, vocational, technical, and
business schools, and military service
opportunities.
He explains that the
Navigators will have an on-site presence at
participating high schools, serving as role
models, mentors, and sources of information and
resources for college-readiness tasks, such as
preparing academically for college, finding a
college, applying for financial aid, and
completing other related materials.
“There is a strong disconnect in our tri-county
area between students intending to pursue a
postsecondary education and students who
actually obtain a postsecondary education,”
notes TyAnn Lindell, EVP for academic and
student affairs at Finlandia University. “Kevin
and the College Positive Volunteers will be
working this academic year to help close this
gap.”
“Kevin is the area’s first-ever
Mentor Michigan College Coaching Corps
AmeriCorps service member,” Lindell adds. “He is
building relationships and putting into place
the tools and resources to make it less
threatening for high school students to continue
to college or pursue other post-secondary
educational opportunities.”
Korte is
busy arranging several two-hour volunteer
training meetings which will start in late
October of this year and continue throughout the
2011-12 academic year.
“My goal is to
actively recruit and train College Positive
Volunteers all year,” Korte says. “I’ll be
making contacts with area high schools and
arranging for the volunteers to be at various
high school events.”
There’s lots of
free stuff for high school students, too. The
Navigators will be giving away Know2Go swag,
such as t-shirts, key chains, silicone
bracelets, and stickers. Know2Go is a national
multiyear, multimedia national campaign that
encourages 8th through 10th graders to prepare
for college.
An important date on
Korte’s calendar is Sunday, February 12, 2012,
which is College Goal Sunday, a nationwide
initiative to help families complete the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),
which is often viewed as a major hurdle in
reaching education beyond high school.
In the Copper Country, College Goal Sunday will
take place at Finlandia’s Jutila Center campus,
Hancock, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Resource
workshops at the event will include helping
students and families complete their 2011 tax
returns and the FAFSA.
From Kennewick in
southeast Washington, Korte is a 2011 graduate
of Finlandia University’s International School
of Art & Design with a bachelor of fine arts in
interdisciplinary design/product design.
Korte brings personal experience and commitment
to his work with the College Positive project.
“Finishing my degree gave me a sense of
pride and self-fulfillment. I didn’t realize
when I started as a freshman how big a stepping
stone it would be,” he says. “But I remember
that it took a little work to get everything in
line, especially applying for financial aid.”
“Even with a degree it’s hard to find a job
today,” Korte notes. “In addition to the
classes, college gave me a lot of networking
opportunities and I gathered some professional
contacts through my friends and teachers.
College is an important step in getting started
on a career.”
Korte says he was drawn to
AmeriCorps because of the community service side
of it.
“I like the idea of giving back
and helping students,” Korte says. “It wasn’t
very long ago that I was in their shoes. I know
now that college is a realistic and achievable
goal and I want to help others realize that,
too.”
Korte also views the one-year
AmeriCorps stint as a good resume builder and an
opportunity to continue networking and building
professional and personal contacts.
Korte is also working with college and career
access initiatives like the Michigan College
Access Network (MCAN), the Keweenaw College
Access Network (KeweenawCAN!), and Know How2 Go
Michigan.
Korte’s AmeriCorps position is
supported by Mentor Michigan, Michigan Campus
Compact, and Finlandia University.
Finlandia was one of only nine sites in Michigan
to be awarded the 2010-2011 College Positive
Communities/Keweenaw Compass grant from Michigan
Campus Compact, in partnership with the Michigan
College Access Network (MCAN). The grants were
awarded to campuses interested in working on an
integrated approach to college student service
and access to higher education.
Contact
Kevin Korte and Keweenaw Compass at
906-487-7264 or
kevin.korte@finlandia.edu. His office is on
the third floor of the Finlandia University
Jutila Center Annex along with the community
programs KeweenawCAN! and TRiO Upward Bound.
Photo : Kevin Korte, Mentor Michigan
College Coaching Corps AmeriCorps service member
Mentor Michigan, an agency of the
State of Michigan, supports nearly 250
organizations around the state that are changing
lives by matching mentors with young people. To
support youth mentoring, Mentor Michigan
provides training and research, fosters
partnerships with businesses, faith-based and
nonprofit organizations, schools, colleges and
universities, and state and local government,
and builds public awareness of the importance of
and the need for mentors
Michigan
Campus Compact (MCC) is a coalition of college
and university presidents who are committed to
fulfilling the public purposes of higher
education. Its mission is to promote the
education and commitment of Michigan college
students to be civically engaged citizens.
College Positive Volunteers, part of the
Michigan Campus Compact, College Positive
Volunteers is a college access program that
engages in efforts to increase the college
enrollment and success for all students, and
especially underrepresented students, by
providing them with support and information
about college preparation, paying for college,
career selection, financial resources, etc. The
CPV program includes four-year colleges and
universities; two-year community and junior
colleges; and vocational, technical, and
business schools.
Keweenaw Compass.
There is a strong disconnect in our tri-county
area between students intending to pursue a
postsecondary education and students who
actually obtain a postsecondary education. To
help close this gap, Finlandia University, the
Keweenaw College Access Network, and the Copper
Country Intermediate School District partnered
to lay the groundwork for a pilot College
Positive Volunteer initiative called “Keweenaw
Compass.”
Michigan College Access
Network (MCAN). The mission on MCAN is to
dramatically increase the college participation
and completion rate in Michigan, particularly
among low-income students, first-generation
students, and students of color. MCAN works to
ensure that everyone in Michigan has the
opportunity to access and succeed in
postsecondary education. MCAN’s goal is to
increase the proportion of Michigan residents
with college degrees or high-quality credentials
to 60% by the year 2025.
Keweenaw
College Access Network (KeweenawCAN!). KCAN!’s
mission is to raise awareness, access, and
success of Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw County
residents in postsecondary education.
Michigan College Access Portal (MichiganCAP) is
a statewide initiative which provides free
support for all students and families in
Michigan to simplify the process of
transitioning from high school to college and
career.
KnowHow2GO is a multiyear,
multimedia effort that encourage 8th through
10th graders to prepare for college using four
simple steps. It was launched by The American
Council on Education, Lumina Foundation for
Education, and the Ad Council. Michigan College
Access Network (MCAN) is the lead partner for
the KnowHow2GO campaign in Michigan.
AmeriCorps provides opportunities for more than
85,000 Americans to give back in an intensive
way to their communities and country each year.
It consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps
State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and
AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community
Corps).
Copper Country Intermediate
School District (CCISD). The CCISD is a service
agency that provides special support services,
special help, and special equipment to educators
in its 13 constituent local school districts in
Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties.
Finlandia University, founded in 1896 as Suomi
College, is the only private university in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and one of 26
colleges and universities affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is
the only university in North America founded by
Finnish immigrants. Located in the Hancock,
Michigan, Finlandia University is a learning
community dedicated to academic excellence,
spiritual growth, and service. Bachelor and
associate degrees are earned by students in two
schools and two colleges serving the disciplines
of art and design, business, liberal studies,
and health sciences. Finlandia student-athletes
compete in NCAA Division III sports
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