About ASCENT
In the spring of 2007, the first group of 105 community mentors and students from the class of 2009 gathered for the first ever Mentor-Mentee Match Up Event. In the spring of 2008, 66 pairs of students and mentors were matched up in the second annual Mentor-Mentee Match Up Event. This fall, new mentors will be paired with a new class of Hug High School students to kick-off another year of making a difference in the lives' of students.
Over the last two years, mentors have attended training workshops on how to best support their mentee towards pursuing college as a realistic, post-high school goal. Mentors are provided with information and resources that specifically address the goals of their mentee. In addition, special events such as financial aid and application workshops, UNR campus visits, student panels, and college shadowing days provide students with further opportunities to learn how to make attending college a reality. Through these efforts, ASCENT creates a support system and a college-going culture that positively impacts the lives' of the Hug High School students.
The ASCENT program has been very successful with Hug High School sending triple the number of graduates to post-secondary education last year. ASCENT's achievements were recently recognized by the Harrah's Foundation with an $80,000 scholarship grant. As a result, Hug High School ASCENT graduates may qualify for up to $20,000 in educational assistance during a four-year period. These and other scholarships are given each year when mentors gather to celebrate the success of their mentees with a scholarship night.
The Student Success Services department at the University of Nevada, Reno is a key partner in the ASCENT program. Student Success Services collaborates with the program to plan annual events, mentor trainings, and to provide support to help students achieve their dream of attending college.
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ASCENT Mission Statement
The mission of the ASCENT mentor program, All Students College Educated In Nevada Today, is to pair college bound Hug High School students with a community role model with the goal of guiding them toward their dream of college. The support structure will involve monthly communication between the mentor and student to discuss college-going topics and to participate in events on the college campus of University of Nevada, Reno. Community mentors will be trained on the mentoring process and will be invited to celebrate the success of their mentee at the culminating scholarship night. At the time of graduation, ASCENT graduates who have committed to the program for three years and are accepted into a college or university will be awarded scholarship dollars.