Carter County high school seniors hoping to take advantage of free college tuition only have until Nov. 2 to register for the Tennessee Promise program.
Adults who want to help these students by being a mentor also are looking at a deadline — Nov. 20 — and Carter County is in need of 41 of them.
While the time commitment is small, says Chris Hitechew, director of Northeast State Community College’s Elizabethton Campus, the impact is huge.
The interest in getting two years of education at a state community or technical college free of tuition has far exceed expectations, said Chris Hitechew, Director of Northeast Community College’s Elizabethton campus.
Hitchew recently spoke to the Elizabethton Rotary Club and told the group that in its first year, 490 students in Carter County applied for TN Promise. Statewide, 58,000 high school seniors in the class of 2015 signed up — more than double the original estimate of 20,000 students. This year, more than 60,000 students are expected to register – and in Carter County, Hitechew says nearly 100% of all high school seniors have signed up for Tennessee Promise.
Thus, the need for mentors.
“I know that from talking with the students, the big key is keeping them on track so they don’t miss their deadlines,” Hitechew said. “I think of a mentor as it being more like a coach. You help make sure they are turning in all their paperwork and hitting their deadlines.”
Hitechew, who served as a mentor last year, also said it is important to encourage the students and take the time to talk with them about their majors.
“One of the kids said to me, ‘I don’t know what to go to school for.’ There are just a lot of things they don’t know. A mentor doesn’t have to know everything; they just have to help them find information, just be ready to point them int the right direction.”
Hitechew said, that of the 58,000 students who signed up originally, all didn’t finish.
“That’s another reason a mentor is important,” he said. “We need to keep them on track and help them finish what they start.
“I expect more students to participate this year than last,” he added. “By now, they’ve talked with people and found out more and they know they will be losing out on money.
Students who participate are required to complete at least eight hours of community service each semester of college. This creates a culture of giving back and allows the students to explore potential career opportunities within their communities. Since January 2015, over 1,728 hours of community service were performed by students locally. 
The time commitment is small, about one hour per month, Hitechew said, but the impact is significant as volunteers assist students navigating the college-going process and encourage them to reach their full potential.
In addition to the obvious financial benefits, getting these students enrolled in the program can be the end of a cycle, Hitechew said, as many of the students in the program are the first person in their family to attend college, Therefore, the assistance and encouragement provided by the mentor can be the difference maker.
“The mentors are the critical piece of the program. They are the reason we are able to operate a program of this scale,” said Graham Thomas, tnAchieves Director of Community Partnerships. “Mentors provide the necessary support system and encouragement that TN Promise students need to be successful.”
Mentors can be any individual who wants to invest 10-15 hours annually to assist 5-10 high school seniors have post-secondary success. They must be 21 years old or older and subject to a background check.
Mentors can apply online by Nov. 20 and will need to complete mandatory mentor training by Feb. 15. First mentor/student meetings will be held in March and April and second mentor/student meetings will occur in October. Mentors are are asked to stay in touch with their students, contacting them at least once every two weeks from the following March through December.
TN Promise does not have GPA or ACT requirements to participate. The universal acceptance policy allows tnAchieves to reach the student who lacks financial support via the state’s lottery scholarship and/or other academic scholarships. This philosophy also ensures the program captures its target student, rather than serving as a supplemental program for students who planned to attend a post-secondary institution without its assistance. 
More than 58,000 students in the Class of 2015 applied for TN Promise in its inaugural year, and the program is expecting more than 60,000 students to apply this year. 
For more information about becoming a mentor, visit www.tnachieves.org or contact Graham Thomas at (615) 604-1306 or graham@tnachieves.org. The deadline to apply is November 20, 2015.