News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Livingston Academy needs more Tennessee Achieves Mentors to help guide the high school graduating class of 2024.
Tennessee Achieves is a non-profit partnership organization for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship. Livingston Academy College Career Coordinator Teresa Johnson said mentors help with all aspects of the application. Johnson said mentors will help graduates complete community service hours, their Promise application and fulfill college requirements.
“They’re really building relationships with these graduating seniors and helping them,” Johnson said. “Just mentoring them through their college choice, making sure they’re on track, giving them simple reminders. So they’re not spending a lot of their time but it is very rewarding.”
Johnson said mentors will spend, on average, one hour per month helping five to seven students, depending on the graduating class size. Johnson said mentors use an online system called Tennessee Achieves Connect to communicate with graduates. Find out more information about volunteering by contacting Livingston Academy.
“We have approximately 214 students graduating this year, and we have very few mentors that have signed up in Overton County,” Johnson said. “So there’s a great need right now in Overton County for mentors.”
Johnson said that Overton County is looking to fill anywhere between 30 to 50 mentorship positions.
“Tennessee Promise started out in 2015 and when the program started we had an overwhelming response with mentors and every year we just have to reach out and encourage new mentors to join,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that surrounding counties such as Clay, Pickett, and Putnam are also looking for available mentors. Johnson said if all mentorship positions in Overton are filled, those mentors can also be used for surrounding counties.
