What once seemed a mismatch turns out to be a marvel

You’re from Long Island, the son of a man in the apparel business and a mother who didn’t work outside the home until you were 10. Having attended junior college, your parents insist—without ever really saying so—that you will go further.

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Near-peer mentors mean it when they say: ‘I’ve been there’

When a young woman returns to a place of painful experience — bullying, debilitating shyness, financial problems and low self-esteem — there are bound to be strong emotions. For Erica Elder, who came home to Bassett High School in southern Virginia last fall to be a college adviser and mentor, the first day back was, well …

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Corporate program matches students with professionals

On a bitterly cold January day, close to 20 junior-year students perform a monthly ritual, filing into a third-floor conference room at Boston’s Madison Park Technical Vocational High School on Malcolm X Boulevard in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The success of any college student is always a group project. No one crosses that stage to accept a degree or certificate unless there are people offstage — instructors who inspire, family members who care and cajole, friends who share and support. Role models are crucial, particularly for students who are unfamiliar with the college- going process […]

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B&W photo of a man with a vaguely trustworthy appearance

The three stories in this issue of Focus were reported and written by John Pulley, a freelance writer and editor based in Arlington, Virginia. Pulley, a professional journalist specializing in education issues for more than two decades, is a former staff writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Writing | John Pulley
Editing
| David S. Powell
Editorial assistance | Ruth Holladay and Lucia Weathers
Photography | Shawn Spence
Design | IronGate Creative

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