Jessica Mirkin for TEAM ACCESS

Although running the 2011 Boston Marathon with my friend was an amazing experience, running without a team was not as fulfilling. This year I really wanted to be part of a team, feel support from everyone around me and change lives. I am really excited to be on Team ACCESS. I look forward to fundraising for others while simultaneously challenging and pushing myself to reach my own athletic potential.

Every child should have the same academic opportunity and should not be held back due to financial barriers. Yet, half of students today who are ready for higher education cannot afford the growing financial costs. Of those half, many are first generation children aspiring to go to college. Many of the prospective students and their families do not have the knowledge or experience to navigate the complicated financial aid process. Hopes for attending college dim.

ACCESS intervenes so that children can have opportunities to attend college. Starting in 7th grade, ACCESS raises awareness about college affordability. By 12th grade, ACCESS provides counselors who guide students and families through the entire financial aid process and assists them in securing financial aid scholarships. ACCESS also awards several college scholarships yearly. Once in college, students join programs that ACCESS has set-up to support the students and continue to make sure that finances do not interfere with their academic goals.

Having been involved with programs such as Big Sister/Little Sister and mentoring, I have seen firsthand the effects that financial struggles have on many families. While parents had to focus on how to feed their children each day, college became a lost dream. Having been part of those programs, I now feel willing and responsible to do everything in my power to raise money so that no child mourns a lost dream and that a college education becomes that child’s reality.