Melisa Hypolite
College Access Program Specialist
CollegeBound Foundation
Baltimore, MD USA
“We can’t all individually change the world...find out what your part is.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationMelisa Hypolite
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Was born in Trinidad, West Indies; later moved with her siblings to Philadelphia, PA, to live with her father, leaving her mother behind in Trinidad.
Admits that this transition was really hard on her—not only did she have to adapt to a new culture, but she also had to adjust to living without her mother around.
In high school, she struggled and her GPA showed it—admits that she didn’t really have any college plans and was told that because of her grades she could only get into a community college.
Not knowing what her options were and lacking any guidance, she only applied to one college and got in.
Once in college, she found the support structure that she had been lacking—some professors took an interest in first-generation college students and provided additional emotional support.
Used her degree in communications to begin working in television at Nielsen, the TV ratings company, but quickly got bored with it—bounced around jobs from leasing, sales, and school counseling.
While working as a school counselor, she found that her passion was in helping students get to college and change their lives.
She now works for the CollegeBound Foundation, guiding people in their pursuit of higher education; she’s also the author of “I’m Ready,” a guidebook for college and career readiness.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
College Access Program Specialist
I am a college advisor that helps high school students find college options that best fit them.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Helping People
Day to Day
Working with students, there isn't ever a typical day. Working in the inner city ads layers to this. So if someone shadowed me for a day, I can not tell you with certainty what they would see.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Get good grades / test scores. Working for a non profit organization or working in education will not make you rich. Good grades and test scores will get you scholarship money so that you will not have to pay back as many student loans as I do. Paying exorbitant student loans take away from your quality of life.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Teachers:
"Your grades are bad so you are only going to get into a community college. "
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
First-Generation College Student
First-Generation Immigrant
Interviewed By
Beating the Odds
Overcoming barriers as a first-generation college student
