Bottom Line

The past few weeks have seen an enormous number of changes in every aspect of our lives. Physical distancing and remote schooling, while necessary measures for community safety, have elevated the lack of resources our students face, created new challenges for our recently graduated alumni, and changed how our team works.

We’ve created an opportunity to lift our students’, team’s, and alumni’s voices to share how their lives and work are being impacted. Hear directly from members of Bottom Line here.

Sophomore at the University of Illinois at Chicago

We recently asked one of our Success students, Steven, to talk about his experience so far in Bottom Line and at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Here’s what he shared:

What are you studying in college, and how long have you been in Bottom Line?
I’m a psychology and economics double major with a finance minor. I have been with Bottom Line for almost three years.

How would you describe your relationship with your Bottom Line Advisor, and how has it helped you be successful?
My Bottom Line Success Advisor, TaShea’, and I have a great relationship. I feel very comfortable around her, and she understands me well. She knows which topics to touch on during our meetings, which allows us to have smooth, efficient, and enriching conversations. For example, she knows not to ask too much about my classes because she knows I tend not to have any trouble academically. Instead, she focuses on my personal and professional growth, two areas that I really want to focus on.

Additionally, I have also been working on a transfer application, and TaShea’ has done a lot to mitigate the stress. For example, she’s always happy to read over my application essays and give me amazing feedback. She has also reached out to co-workers and her manager to read over my essays to ensure that she is giving useful, objective feedback.

Why is graduating from college important to you?
My parents did not have the opportunity to have a quality education. In fact, my mother has not even gone to high school. They came to this country from China to ensure that their children will have a better future, and they have instilled the values of hard work and dedication in me. Graduating from college is a necessary step for me to fulfill both my own and my parents’ visions of being successful. I also have a natural love of learning. I think attending and graduating from college will open many doors for me to learn and grow in the areas that I want to do so.

Would you recommend Bottom Line to a friend or family member? Why?
Yes, I would recommend Bottom Line to a friend because Bottom Line has great resources that fill the lack of guidance that usually exists in the lives of first-generation students. Those students usually have no idea what to do when it comes to applying to college, applying for loans, filling out FAFSA, and many other important aspects of college. I personally think that the educational system does not prepare prospective college students to handle all of the major financial decisions that come with applying to and attending college. Bottom Line Advisors know exactly what to do to help those students make informed decisions, which will ultimately help students be more financially well-off in the future.

College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2018

Victoria came to Bottom Line in high school after hearing her peers talking about the program. She had come to the United States from El Salvador when she was eight, and her family wasn’t familiar with the college process in the US.

“The Access program was really helpful in making an informed decision about which college to go to. My advisor helped me explore what kind of job and school is the right fit for me.”

After going to College of the Holy Cross, Victoria stayed on as a Success student. “The first year is so overwhelming. It was so helpful to have an advisor to rely on when things got difficult. College life didn’t necessarily come easily to me. As a first-generation college student, there are many obstacles that I encountered. My counselor helped me to stay positive and overcome every single challenge. ”

Having an advisor come to campus made a big difference to Victoria. It helped make her feel included and let me know what someone was there to support her. “It’s a really lonely process when no one has done it before you. Academics were initially challenging my first semester but my counselor helped me figure out a plan for success. Bottom Line provided me with the encouragement and support I needed to graduate with honors. I will always be grateful for the support, guidance, and encouragement I received since I first joined the program.”

Since graduating college, Victoria has joined State Street as part of a professional development program. She’s been there for 1.5 years doing 6 months rotations within Global Markets, holding three positions so far. Bottom Line helped connect Victoria with the rotational program, and helped her apply.

This program has been great for Victoria, giving her a chance to explore the different kinds of roles at State Street, and teaching her about professionalism. As she’s coming up to the end of the program, she has recently accepted a full-time role with Global Credit Finance.“I don’t know what my ultimate career goal is, but I know I want to continue working with global markets.”

Victoria believes that being a part of this program right out of college has helped jumpstart her career. “How many people can say they’ve had three very different roles in their first 1.5 years without raising the alarm to potential employers?”

While she may not know what her ultimate goal is yet, she knows that her degree is essential to getting her there. “I get to choose what I like and what I don’t like in a job. Without higher education, you usually don’t get to have that kind of flexibility. I look at the work my family does vs. what I do. and it is so different. I have options.”

Last year, Bottom Line partnered with The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) to provide one-on-one college advising to  40 young men in New York City.   In his essay, “If One Kid Can Change The World,”  Mark shares the importance of role models and self-belief. 

In 2014, I received the best news that would go on to change my life forever. “You have been accepted into The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) sponsored by JPMorgan Chase.” Those words turned my life around. During these two unbelievably amazing years, I have been given the chance to learn from thirty-nine other African American and Latino males like myself, and it has made me feel like we could change the world.

Before TFI, I never found anything interesting because I was always a quiet student. I was afraid to try new things or explore. What I do know about my younger self was that the color of my skin made me feel very insecure. It made me isolate myself. Growing up, I had friends who were afraid like me. I would talk to them and tell them of my plans to be a young man who stands out from the group; I wanted to be more.

When I joined TFI, I was excited to work with other students like myself and have a mentor who would teach us about college and the business world. The moment I knew that I was capable of being a leader was when this mentor, Fernando, asked me to speak at an event for Outward Bound. At first, I was horrified. So many people would be watching me. I was not yet comfortable in my own skin, but I knew I could not disappoint Fernando. He had chosen me and if he thought I could do it, then I did not want to let him down. Right before I went onto the stage, he told me, “Mark, you can do whatever you want to do if you put your mind to it.” Fernando believed in me. He was instilling in me the tools I would need to self-motivate and conquer my fears.

Fernando has consistently believed in my abilities to be a leader and has motivated me to be an example to young men like me. In order to channel this energy and make a positive change in my community, I became a board member for the Neighborhood Advisory Board. This board helps allocate funds for projects within my community like after-school programs, play grounds, and books. Through TFI, I have had the opportunity to speak at other events and be on a panel with accomplished adults. Being able to represent my TFI brothers and JPMorgan Chase at these events has made me very proud. Looking back, I have realized that if I would not have accepted the challenge of joining TFI, I would not be the person I am today.

TFI has empowered me and I feel a duty to give back to my people. My dream and purpose of living is so that I can inspire others to believe in their dreams. I am confident that I will change the world by helping the young people in my community find the best within themselves. All it takes is one person, one thought, or one encouraging influence to help set them on the path of greatness. I am proud of my skin and I am determined and I am ready to reach back and help my community.

Help support Sarah and Bottom Line!

Sarah has been with Bottom Line in a variety of functions for over 10 years, and is currently our National Access Program Director. She is also running the Boston Marathon for us in April!  If you wish to help Sarah reach  her fundraising goal, you can do so here.  A donation of just $15 will fund a care package to a Bottom Line student!

Sarah’s favorite part of working at Bottom Line: 

Sarah Place
Bottom Line’s National Access Program Director

I love that Bottom Line has a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.  Staff at all levels are constantly asking, “how can we do this better?” and take an active role in improving the way we serve students.  We strive to be the best at what we do because Bottom Line students deserve to receive the highest quality services.  I also live for reading college essays!

Sarah’s advice for alumni:

Please stay in touch!  Not only do we love hearing updates about alumni, but it could also benefit you to stay active in our network if we ever have the chance to connect you to opportunities.  Our current students are always looking to expand their networks so you could also have the chance to give back to your community by being an active part of the Bottom Line community.  We want to continue seeing you go far!

Access Counselor, Evan Soken preps his student for the big May 1st deadline

My student lifted their eyes to the wall thick with college pennants, searching for their future school. Each flag was surrounded by a cluster of colorful stars, each star bearing the name of a student who had committed to that college from the Class of 2016. A smile of recognition flickered across their face as Northeastern caught their eye. “It’s so high! How am I supposed to get up there?” they exclaimed. “You think you can jump that high?” I laughed. After taking a beat, they took a running jump and slapped their star directly below the Northeastern pennant as applause rippled through the room.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons in the college access world. Every piece of the process comes with unique challenges and rewards, but especially as a second-year counselor at Bottom Line, the weeks leading up to May 1 are the culmination of months of student work. May 1 is National College Decision Day in the United States — the day when nearly every college in the country requires that students commit to a college by sending a deposit to secure their place in the class. At Bottom Line, we plan for this day all year. From the first time we meet with a student during the summer before their senior year, we are thinking about how to troubleshoot all the obstacles that might stand between them and a good-fit, affordable, post-secondary option on May 1. As we partner with students to build a diverse college list, edit countless essays, complete the FAFSA, and troubleshoot financial and citizenship issues we are always thinking about giving the student as many options as possible. By the time April rolls around, students prepare to have one of their final meetings in our Access Program: the Award Analysis Meeting.

While there are many valuable meetings and services that students participate in during their senior year, the Award Analysis Meeting is a game-changer. Using an Excel tool that helps breakdown financial aid letters into government/institutional money and federal loans, we estimate the cost of their different colleges for freshman year. Then we take it one step further and estimate the four-year cumulative cost and monthly loan repayment for each college as well. Financing college is one of the most significant barriers low-income, first-generation college students face. Fluctuating financial aid and lack of clear information about paying for college often result in student dropout. This meeting with students is meant to empower them to think about the long-term consequences of their different college choices. It pushes the counselor, the student, and their family to think in concrete, specific terms: What is your plan to pay your first bill in August? Where is that money coming from? Will you have access to that money over four years? While these conversations are almost never easy or simple, walking through these tough questions with all parties involved dramatically increases a student’s ability to confidently make a choice that will move them towards their college degree.

At the end of the day all the services we provide are about giving students the tools to make a college choice that will set them up for success — not just for next year — but for the next four years, as they earn their degree, and the next ten years as they start their post-college lives. People often say to me, “This must be such a rewarding time of year for you!” It is rewarding, but the reward doesn’t belong to me—it belongs to my students who have used the resources available to them to advocate for themselves, to grow, and to learn. This is their moment and I am privileged to have been a part of it.

-Written by Bottom Line Access Counselor, Evan Soken

Rosellen is off to Bryn Mawr!

Jean will attend Northeastern Foundation Year in the fall!

Our Dorchester Access Counselors rep their alma maters!

Brandon commits to Swathmore!

I remember what it’s like to be normal. I remember sleeping in on school-less holidays. I remember spending my excess time with friends, and having boundless amounts of energy to waste on the most frivolous of things. I remember freely consuming potassium-packed foods and salty stuff galore, without the fear of becoming violently ill. I remember spending hours and hours reading and drawing, knowing that there would always be more time tomorrow. I remember spending weekends and vacations traveling near and far whenever I got the chance. Today, that all seems so distant.

As I write this, I have to cautiously avoid moving my left arm too rigorously to keep from ripping out the inch-long needles. Every half an hour, my right arm’s circulation is momentarily cut off by an inflating blood pressure cuff. The dialysis machine continuously emits a rhythmic hiss, beep, click, beep. There are admirable attempts to mask the hospital white with child-friendly decals strewn about the room, however, the smell of blood, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol are unavoidable to any unaccustomed nostrils. The necessary fifteen hours a week I spend at Boston Children’s Hospital ensure my relative health, but unfortunately, I never feel quite right after my treatments. It’s a feeling that can only be described as “dry” to the nurses or “after dialysis” to my acquaintances who don’t understand hospital lingo. Since sixth grade, this has been my new normal.

My world-changing diagnosis of end-stage kidney failure — or in technical terms, Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis — is what prompted this drastic change during my relatively short life. Summed up in that mess of medical terminology is a contract that I was genetically destined to sign, which includes, but isn’t limited to, the following terms and conditions: years of peritoneal and hemodialysis; a failed kidney transplant; frequent nausea and headaches; and mysterious pains and aches.

Despite the rough road I’ve endured, my story isn’t a sad one. I’ve had the opportunity — dare I say, privilege — to see the world in a drastically different light than my peers. Thanks to my diagnosis, I’m a stronger, more resilient person who truly understands what it’s like to hurt and struggle. Appreciating every little thing from home cooked meals to drives around my hometown of Boston now comes naturally, and I am gifted with the ability to stop trivial matters from bothering me. Even though my illness has limited my ability to accept amazing opportunities like invitations to travel abroad, what has been life threatening to me has also, in a way, saved me. It has turned me into a voice for the voiceless, a courageous fighter who has advocated for my fellow patients through pageantry, and a “WishChild” who tells a powerful story on stage at Make-A-Wish galas.

Living without my beloved bean-shaped organs is a challenge, but not a roadblock. I find that the following quote applies to my life: “The same water that softens a potato hardens an egg.” Although being chronically ill drains large portions of my time, I have become a bolder, more empathetic person as a result. My diagnosis opened my eyes to a huge invisible community of chronically ill children, some of whom don’t share my view that our predicament is a blessing, not a curse. I plan to be an example for those just like me. I plan to prove that a life-changing diagnosis doesn’t have to hinder you. Those of us who are afflicted by them still have the potential to be just as fabulous and successful as the rest of the world. Going to college will be my next step.

-Written by Bottom Line Access Student, Isis

Bottom Line staff and students at this year’s College Expo.

Every March, college students all over the country get to step away from their studies and take a week off to relax and recuperate. For many, this conjures up images of sunny days spent on the beach. At Bottom Line, it means the time has come to attend the College Expo. Designed to give high school seniors a chance to learn more about some of the most popular colleges in the area, the Bottom Line College Expo, is similar to a college fair with some key differences: when the event is scheduled and who is invited.

Unlike a traditional college fair often held over the summer or in the fall for prospective students, we host our event mid-March once most students have some college decisions and our college students are home for break. Instead of having admissions staff tabling, we ask our college students to volunteer their time and represent their college. Students are excited to be able to give back and often talk about being at the event themselves in years past, feeling a similar anxiety and anticipation as they attempted to make a college decision.

This year, Bottom Line-MA’s College Expo was held at UMass-Boston. With over 70 student volunteers, some alumni turned staff, and lots of energy from everyone it was our most successful event thus far. Students had an opportunity to listen to a panel of college student speakers varying in years and institutions about college life in general. Then they broke out for lunch and were given an opportunity to have one-on-one conversations. Student feedback included comments like “It was a different experience hearing from actual college students then from just college administrators,” and “…after hearing everyone’s experience with college it makes me less scared of college.”

Many students are unable to visit all the colleges they are accepted to; by connecting them with students who are enrolled there and reflect their diversity, Bottom Line is able to provide some of that personalized perspective in their own backyard. As students gear up to make a college commitment by May 1^st, these are the kinds of opportunities that can inform their decision making process and help them choose the colleges that best fit their needs.

-Written by Bottom Line Access Counselor, Emelda Lagos

Below is the incredible story of Bottom Line Worcester Access student, Geury.
Geury is a student at Boston Latin Academy. He has interned in the chambers of a federal judge and has used his free time to take advanced writing and mathematical college courses, in preparation for college. Geury is looking forward to expanding his academic horizon in the field of philosophy at Boston College, Brandeis University, Suffolk University, or Bowdoin College. Read Geury’s college essay below!

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As I completed reading my first “academic novel,” my mother sat next to me. I began to grow accustomed to the convoluted words and the multi-clause sentences. Once I turned to the final page and read the final word, I looked into my mother’s eyes. She cried. With the single tear falling down her left eye, I instantly realized that in my academic journey my mother would be in the passenger seat. A few months later, it was my thirteenth birthday. On the same day, the 18th of January in 2010, I had my last conversation with my biological father.

I do not know my biological father very well. When he learned of my mother’s unanticipated pregnancy, he slowly moved out of my life—constructing an unbreakable distance from my mother and me. From the instant I inhaled oxygen, he was not around. Although many may believe that a life without a father is missing a vital component, I accepted my father’s absence as the status quo. I neither felt melancholy toward him nor euphoria. I just chose to dismiss his significance in my life.

My situation was common. Many of my friends were fatherless. Because of this, and only because of this, they felt apoplectic. This absence led them to seek conscious-altering alternatives. Needless to say, these alternatives did not include reading—an alternative that I consider to be conscious-altering enough, since, as a reader, I am exposed to a complexity and diversity of consciousness. Unlike my friends, I took the absence of my father as a bitter blessing. Because of my father’s absence, I wasn’t exposed to the common, reprehensible male view of resolving altercations physically—a view that can be extracted from my biological father. There was, and is, no indignation for him.

I am satisfied with the void in my life. Based on my experience with cousins, grandfathers, and uncles, primitive ideologies are prevalent within older, undereducated men in my culture. These are men that think the only way to live a lucrative life is by having a ninety-five mile per hour fastball. As a child, I was exposed, just as many children of color are, to different kinds of drug addicts and violent criminals making the worst choices: killing for small, insignificant altercations and constantly changing their consciousness to experience what can only be characterized by them as a good time. Oddly enough, from observing these negative decisions made by people all around me—and thanks to my mother’s guidance—I became educated on how to live a fulfilling life.

I learned from my mother, and her struggle with true poverty. This poverty is unequivocally incomparable to my current, menial poverty. My mother’s economic devastation wasn’t characterized by not having enough money to buy the new Air-Jordans; instead, my mother could not eat on a daily basis. She found herself wearing the same clothes, which were torn to pieces and were stained and had a peculiar smell that arose from a combination of perfume and sweat. But my mother was still content with her decision to emigrate from her home, the Dominican Republic, and come to this prosperous, luminous country, the United States. She was content because she hoped her children would become prosperous and, ultimately, luminous, in their own way.

I know that I will exceed my mother’s expectations. I will learn more than she can fathom; I will diversify my intellectual intake; I will develop my writing. The only reason why I will be able to do this is because she is beside me. I love her strength and beauty because she has never pushed me, but has only supported me. She is, indeed, the passenger and I am the driver.

-Written by Bottom Line Access student, Geury

With over 1,000 college applications, 5 Posse Scholars, and nearly 250 college admissions decisions thus far, Worcester students have been working endlessly to cross the finish line before the first of May.  The past few months have consisted of students meeting with their counselors to complete financial aid applications, interviews, and various scholarship applications.

February vacation was no different.  After the Hanover Scholarship event held back in November, the Access Team held its second Scholarship Party event, where students were assisted throughout the Greater Worcester Foundation Scholarship application process.  All afternoon, the resource room was active with students drafting, editing, and adding the final touches to their writing prompts.  In addition to students registering for the tedious online application, there were also many conversations held about different college visits and admission decisions that students have received.

What makes this particular scholarship so unique is that by submitting just one application, each student is considered for all scholarships which he/she is eligible for. The Greater Worcester Community Foundation awards over 350 college scholarships every spring from 130 different scholarship funds.  The foundation, which offers scholarships ranging in size from $300 to $7,000, has awarded close to $300,000 to over 200 students in the Worcester area.

-Written by Bottom Line Senior Access Counselor, Theresa Pickens