Jeremiah Moy’s senior year of high school landed in the throes of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which affected his home state of Louisiana in especially devastating ways. As he prepared to graduate in May 2021 from Neville High School in Monroe, LA, Jeremiah was considering how he could take the…

Told by Klarissa Carrillo My Propel story starts with COVID. When COVID became a thing, it was hard. I was working at a call center, and we went from working in an office — seeing everybody, talking to people and all that every day — to working from home. I…

This past spring, Jaida Robins was preparing to graduate from high school in Philadelphia. Her school had a strong focus on college preparation, and Jaida and many of her classmates had already completed some college courses. But Jaida was uninterested in moving on to college. …

After navigating a pandemic during their junior and senior years of high school, the Class of 2021 is now preparing for college or a career or — in the case of Propel Fellows — both. Propel America spoke with three new Fellows in the North Louisiana program about why they…

As a high school student, Chad Rountree was more sure about what he did not what to do than what he did want to do. “I was adamant about not pursuing college right out of high school,” Rountree says. “I didn’t have a strong understanding of my strengths and assets…

How Propel America Shifted Gears for Virtual Learning by Katherine Roger, Senior Director of Program at Propel America I joined the Propel America team in early 2020, energized about the opportunity to support young people in their journey from high school to a well-paying, upwardly mobile job. I knew this…

Making a difference as a certified medical assistant/critical care technician, on my way to becoming a doctor — By Jordi Torres, Propel fellow, New Jersey As a certified medical assistant at Cooper Hospital in the Roberts Pavilion and MD Anderson Cancer Center, I help patients in their battle against cancer. The staff here never let a patient feel they are fighting alone. As a medical assistant, I do…

Why I’m Proud to be a Part of Our Fellows’ Journeys By Dustin Whitlock, Ed. D, Program Director of Propel America North Louisiana As an educator and a former family therapist, I know that people are always working through something — whether they’re six, or sixteen, or sixty. I studied psychology in college and I have a master’s in family counseling…

by Taryn Fletcher, Ed.D, Executive Director, Propel America New Jersey When I left high school, all I wanted to do was “start my life.” I liked the idea of independence and getting into a career early. I was eager to fulfill my goals. A lot of our Propel fellows are like this, too. I see that part of myself in them. I see the eagerness I felt, the determination. I remember feeling that excited and hopeful about my future. The ambition to just…