Minerva Paulino

Programs	Education
Class	2024
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers
Hometown	Yonkers, NY

How has the Pathways Scholarship/CARE program supported your journey at Champlain?

Apart from the Pathways Scholarship being a huge monetary help for me to afford a great private college education, it has also provided me with a mentor who guided me through my first year. This mentor would help me with anything related to college, like getting a book advance or an angel fund to buy books, or setting me up with tutors from the Smart Space to help me with assignments.
[My mentor was] also someone that I could just talk to about issues not relating to school that could affect my performance, or just my mental health in general. I think of this mentor as my close friend, my guidance, and almost therapist all together. I can’t imagine having survived my first year without her support. This mentor connected me with some other amazing staff and faculty that I still keep in touch with today. I became close with staff from the Office of Diversity & Inclusion as well as many other resources on campus that I wouldn’t have gotten in contact with if it weren’t for my mentor pushing me to be involved in my community as much as I could.
At the end of the year, when I was applying for my leadership positions on campus, my mentor was able to write recommendation letters for me that gave a very accurate insight to who I was because she knew me so well. With her help, and that of other faculty I had connections with because of the CARE program, I was accepted in all three leadership positions that I applied for.
Although I don’t have my weekly meetings with my mentor anymore, she gave me the confidence to advocate for myself and know my way in and out of Champlain. If I ever need her again, I know that I can always count on her and she’ll be more than glad to help as well. I can’t express enough how the Pathways Scholarship and CARE program have helped me in college and I’m very grateful for it.