“One at a Time” Scholarship Program Aims to Help Students Through Mentoring

By: Crescencia CeCe Faz

Cronkite Special to AZLatinos.com

Changing the economic futures of students to end the cycle of poverty in families, and more importantly provide hope, is made easier through the student financial aid program “One at a Time.”

Started by Terry Wilson, authorized by the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Council in January 2001, and sponsored through St. Vincent de Paul in Arizona, the “One at a Time” program seeks to help students who are not able to attend college without the help of the mentors, motivators and financial funding the program provides.

Marcelino Quiñónez, a past recipient of the scholarship, was proud to share that the help from “One at a Time” changed his life.

“I went through the entire process just like any other student would, and I did everything I needed to in order to become successful,” Quiñónez said.

Students selected to be a part of the scholarship program are required to fill out the necessary applications, be interviewed, and if accepted – they are given a mentor who is there to keep in contact with them, to lead them on a successful path toward college graduation.

Terry Wilson is proud to watch the students succeed and accomplish dreams that they never once thought to be possible.

“The highest stimulant for endorphins is giving something to someone else,” Wilson said. “It feels so good to have these people succeed and let them see that there is hope,” he added.

So far, 114 students have been a major part of the success stories, with over 60% of the participants going on to graduate from college, but both Terry and Marcelino know that this is an ongoing help for students, and both look forward to the continuing growth and success of many others to come.

“Everyone has a story and our lives are all different, but one thing is certain, and that is that there is hope,” Wilson said.

“There are four parts that make ‘One at a Time’ an amazing program, and those are the counselors, the mentors, our process that works and the students who, although struggle economically, have steel in their backs and fire in their eyes,” he added.