Southwest hosts TN Achieves mentor breakfast

Mentoring plays a significant role in student success, which is why TN Achieves held an appreciation breakfast at the Macon Cove campus earlier this month to thank citizens who committed to mentor TN Promise students in the Memphis metro area.

TN Achieves is the TNPromise partnering organization to the TN Promise Scholarship in 84 of the 95 counties in Tennessee. Its mission is to increase higher education opportunities for Tennessee high school students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance.

President Tracy D. Hall welcomed the crowd and thanked them for their commitment to help students navigate the college process. “While it is the students’ responsibility to be successful, the role of the mentor is to help students help themselves,” Dr. Hall said. “Southwest has multiple resources that students can take advantage of, including tutoring, advising, counseling and other wrap-around services,” she added. “I encourage all mentors to ask the student what they have done to be successful and whether they are using the resources available to them.”

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who has been involved with TN Achieves for the past three years, was a special guest also. He complimented Dr. Hall on her leadership during her two-year tenure at Southwest. “She dove right in and is leading Southwest in the right direction for success” Luttrell said. He also thanked the mentors for their commitment. “Education provides benefits to students beyond the classroom. It has a direct impact on health, safety, family life and job readiness,” Luttrell said. He also said Memphis is known to be a transportation and logistics city with companies like FedEx and AutoZone as major job contributors, but the wages are low and that he would like to see Memphis become more educated to attract more high-tech industries. “Education is the key to building a better workforce in Tennessee, especially in Shelby County,” he said.