Supporting students as they transition to and persist through college is the focus of The Scholarship Foundation’s Student Advising Program. All along the way, student advisors work tirelessly to address whatever needs or questions that may arise for students as they pursue their goals. Through this process, relationships are built on trust and honesty. The 2024 Student Advising Program Report depicts data that is resultant of these crucial relationships. As the new data reflects, the need for timely, objective, and accurate advising on college affordability and financial aid continues to rise, with the number of students and other individuals seeking assistance steadily increasing over the four years since the pandemic.
Dominesha Newton, Lead Student Advisor, and Teresa Stock Steinkamp, Director of Advising, meeting with students at an area YMCA branch. Summer, 2024.
What the data cannot illustrate is the complexity of the student advisors’ relationships with many of their students. From technical support to assistance with deeply personal situations, student advisors offer information and guidance, as well as empathy and validation, to everyone they support. Acting as both cheerleader and coach, student advisors celebrate student successes and accomplishments, marking milestone moments in students’ lives. It is a privilege to walk with students at this important stage of their lives.
The first months of 2025 have reinforced the importance of The Scholarship Foundation’s mission*, and the advisors’ dedication to students perfectly exemplifies the Foundation-wide conviction that education has the power to transform individual lives, families, and communities.
Read the full report HERE.
*Our Mission: The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, a nonprofit organization founded in 1920, is based upon the conviction that an educated society is essential to a healthy democracy. The Scholarship Foundation provides access to postsecondary education to members of our community who otherwise would not have the financial means to fulfill their educational goals.
