Bethel Alum Serves at College Possible

Liz Wilson ’10 recently completed her second year as an AmeriCorps college coach, helping low-income high school students gain the necessary tools to put college within reach.  As a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduate, Wilson worked with high school juniors last year. In the College Possible program, juniors focus on ACT test preparation, campus visits, and essay and resume development. More recently, Wilson has worked with seniors, and has a high rate of success. “At this point, 100% of my students have been admitted to a four-year college,” she says.

Wilson says her Bethel education got her ready to take on the position at College Possible.  “Bethel prepared me very well,” she explains, “by giving me the opportunity to study abroad as well as placing me in field experiences and student teaching … After completing my bachelor's degree and earning my ESL licensure through Bethel, I felt prepared to work with diverse students from backgrounds that were very different from my own.”

To Wilson, working at College Possible means fighting injustice. “… Students from high-income families are 10 times more likely to graduate from college than their low-income peers,” she says. “The injustice of that upsets me and inspired me to take action, which led me to take a position with College Possible.” Her job can test her patience, but Wilson says her faith helps her to care for and love her students. “I ask for patience and Christ’s love to fill me up every day,” she says, “because without it, I am nothing.”