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• Homepage https://www.challengescholars.org/

  It’s true, this site doesn’t have a whole lot of content yet, but don’t worry. Our web developers have just installed the CMS, and they’re setting things up for the content editors this very moment. Soon Challengescholars.local will be an oasis of fresh perspectives, sharp analyses, and astute opinions that will keep you coming back again and again.

• Why is Community College Important for Your Student? https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2017/why-is-community-college-important-for-your-student

  When you think about going to college, you might think about dorms and big college campuses. While many people choose to take that route, others find that path to be too expensive or too far from home or work. Or for others, they are still trying to figure out what they'd like to do after graduation. It makes sense for these students to find their passion at a community college which has a broad range of opportunities. In Grand Rapids, we have Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), right in the…

• Challenge Scholars is now for everyone at Union High School https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2017/challenge-scholars-is-now-for-everyone-at-union-high-school

  Challenge Scholars started three years ago with students from Harrison Park School (PK-8) and Westwood Middle School. Since then we’ve watched students grow and achieve. This year, the first class of Challenge Scholars are freshmen at Union High School. To be more equitable, Challenge Scholars has expanded to include all incoming students at Union High School. This means that anyone who attends Union High School starting as a 9th grader, keeps their grades up, and shows good behavior can be a C…

• Challenge Scholars Staff: Meet Rebecca Back https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2017/meet-rebecca-back

  Hi, my name is Rebecca Back and I am the Challenge Scholars College and Career Coordinator at Westwood Middle School. I am originally from Kalamazoo, and graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Psychology and Spanish. I previously worked at Catholic Charities for the Healthy Start program. I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I love experiencing new cultures and lived in Costa Rica for four months during college.  I am passionate about working one-on-one with students, a…

• Student Feature: Cody Garrison https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2017/challenge-scholar-student-feature-cody-garrison

  When Kara Garrison first heard about the Challenge Scholars program, her son Cody was a fifth grade student at Harrison Park School. “It was the number one factor in sending him on to Westwood Middle School and now Union High School. I couldn’t wait to learn more about Challenge Scholars. It takes a huge load off of us and has really given him motivation,” she said. Cody is now a freshman at Union and is very focused on the years ahead. “Challenge Scholars makes college so attainable. All you h…

• Student Feature: Charbert Fitz https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2018/destaca-estudiantil-charbert-fitz

  Charbert Fitz has his eye on Michigan State University. One of his favorite NFL running backs, Le’Veon Bell went to MSU, and Charbert is interested in State’s law enforcement program. Charbert signed up to be a Challenge Scholar when he was a sixth grader at Westwood Middle School and he is currently a freshman at Union High School. He knows that as long as he stays on track with his grades, attendance and behavior, his dream of being a Spartan can absolutely come true. And that’s exciting f…

• Union High Aluma Back to Help Redhawks Succeed https://www.challengescholars.org/blog/2018/ex-alumna-de-union-high-ayuda-a-que-los-redhawks-alcancen-el-éxito

  Today, Marisol Blanco is associate director of the Grand Rapids Community College Success Center. Her journey to this position started over a decade ago when she was a student at Union High School. At Union High, Marisol had been a top student academically. She was offered many experiences and opportunities that were not available to her peers. “Because of the caseload, often times kids at the top and kids who are most vulnerable get all the support from school staff. There’s a large group o…

• Am I a Challenge Scholar? https://www.challengescholars.org/become-a-challenge-scholar

• FAQs https://www.challengescholars.org/faqs

• Give https://www.challengescholars.org/give

  Local philanthropist Armen Oumedian grew up on the west side. He attended Harrison Park and graduated from Union High School in 1941. He went to college and became a successful engineer. Armen supported Challenge Scholars and now you can too!