Promise Scholars: Postsecondary Access for Local, Low-Income, First-Generation Youth in Canada

• In Event: Examining International Higher Education Contexts and International Student Populations

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to examine how Promise Scholar programs for local, first-generation low-income youth can provide a pathway to post-secondary education for marginalized students in Canada. The distinction between these programs and other first-generation access programs is that they provide support for local low-income youth who often live in college towns and face multiple barriers to access. Nationally, they are referred to as Promise Scholar programs. These programs provide comprehensive financial support, academic and psychological counselling, and mentorship support for local, first-generation, low-income youth This study offers insights into how such programs might operate not only cross-nationally, but globally, to support local, low-income first-generation students.

Author

• Alana C. Butler, Queen's University - Kingston