ISAC Introduces Lincoln Land ISACorps Members Kelsey, Powers

Springfield, Ill. — The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) introduced the newest members of the Illinois Student Assistance Corps (ISACorps), Andrea Kelsey and Elizabeth Powers, who will serve as near-peer mentors in the Lincoln Land Community College district.

Kelsey, a Jacksonville native and 2010 graduate of Illinois College, majored in history and received a teaching certificate in secondary education.  Powers, from Champaign, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May, 2010, with a degree in Communication and minors in Business and Spanish. 

Kelsey and Powers will serve a two-year commitment that includes completion of an initial summer "boot camp" in addition to ongoing training. The corps members will be assisting students in career exploration, college selection, test preparation, scholarship searches, application completion and the college financial aid process.

"The training helped us build a foundation of knowledge of the college admissions and financial aid processed, " Powers said. "We will put this knowledge—along with our personal experiences as recent college graduates ourselves—to work in serving students in the Springfield area."

The ISACorps Lincoln Land District members will have offices on the campus of Lincoln Land Community College in addition to building partnerships with greater Springfield area schools, businesses, and nonprofits in order to deliver free career and college planning and preparation services to students from families with no prior college-going experience. Kelsey (akelsey@isac.org) can be reached at 217-720-0272, and Powers' (epowers@isac.org) phone is 217-720-3434.

"By being embedded in the community, we are better able to help students and families through the college-going process," Kelsey added.  "We're here to help anyone with the goal of completing a postsecondary education."

Funded by the College Access Challenge Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission created the ISACorps in 2009 to enhance and expand ISAC's college access and outreach programs and services to help students navigate the process of applying to and entering college.

"It's more important than ever to promote higher education and provide prospective college-goers with support," said ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis. "So many of the Corps members talk passionately about how they needed help navigating through the process as they prepared to go to college, and now they want to help the next generation of college students. We are pleased to offer the Corps' services in the Lincoln Land district."
 
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education. A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for over 50 years. The commission continued its mission to make college accessible and affordable for Illinois students by administering over 183,000 grants and scholarships totaling over $430 million in FY2009 alone. 

Numerous programs such as the Monetary Award Program (MAP), the Illinois Veteran Grant and College Illinois!® 529 Prepaid Tuition Program are administered by ISAC, and the agency offers students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information its family of Web sites available at www.KnowHow2GOIllinois.org.

2010 Illinois Student Assistance Corps by Community College District