MEET OUR STUDENTS

Google “go getter,” and you might find a picture of Makayla Key.

An A student, she felt good about her chances of getting accepted, but worried about paying for the private school tuition. “The tuition alone was way out of the range of I what could pay,” Elliott says.

After graduation from Southeast Guilford in 2017, she started her journey at Greensboro College with help from shift_ed. “I am paying my own way to college and getting loans. Knowing that I have an organization that is helping me through college has definitely reduced my stress.”

The daughter of a teacher always knew school came first. “Education is extremely important to us. She’s always told me that she wants me to make sure I do my best.”

With a great ACT score on her resume, and encouragement from family, friends and those co-workers, Aguirre went after a scholarship. “Ever since I found out what college cost, getting a full-ride was a big dream of mine.” A dream that became reality with the Say Yes Guilford scholarship.

Richardson remembers her cousins graduating from college when she was just 13. “I said I want to be just like you. I want to go to college; I want to get a degree; I want to make my dreams come true.”

Eight years ago, Toheed Zaman, her mother and three sisters moved to the United States to build a better future for the young girls.

Newman knew she wanted to go to college, but she hadn’t considered a private college. “I came to tour the school, and I loved it. I loved the campus and the small classes, and how everyone was really involved.”

“My goal is to be someone that other generations and, of course, my own siblings can look up to. Just having that background has made me want to break all the barriers economically, racially, and even being a woman, breaking the barriers put in our society today.”

Growing up in a family of seven Ron Robinson learned how to compromise, how to share and most importantly, to be at the table on time for supper. “Everyone loves cooking in our family, and dinner is really important.”

Money can’t buy wisdom, but it can buy peace of mind and open doors to a future, something Teagan Gilliam understands more every day. “I want to make an impact on the world; I want to make myself proud.”

When Robinson left for school, she says she felt like she had some extra support from home, thanks to a Say Yes Guilford scholarship. “I thought, wow, it’s a whole team of people that believe in me and want to encourage me in my college journey.”

Lynsey was in the Ragsdale gym in September 2015 when Say Yes announced it was coming to Guilford County. Two and a half years later, she realized exactly what that meant.

“Seeing that I had money available from Say Yes, I thought ‘I’ve got this now.’”

Harvard sounds very, very far away for a lot of high school students. It certainly did for Betty Lulseged. “I didn’t want to apply, because I thought there was no way. I thought I was throwing away my application fee.” With a little encouragement from dad, the...

Foresight and hustle. On the basketball court, Katie Lewis was always thinking about the next game, the next possession, the next play, and at the same time she was right in the action giving her all. She needed those qualities to complete her degree in health...

Hers is the first face most see when they walk through the doors of Gillespie Park Elementary. Even behind plexiglass and a mask you can tell she’s smiling as she takes the temperatures of students and staff back to school for the first time since spring. As general...

Madison Powers is a woman with a plan. She knows what she wants, “I want to be a school teacher; I want to directly impact children.” And she knows what it takes to get there, “I majored in elementary education at Greensboro College with a minor in child and family...