Making an impact
A mentoring program, called iGrad, launched in 2012 with the purpose of helping at-risk students stay on track to graduate from high school. Since then, it’s become a fixture not only in the Bartholomew Consolidated and Flat Rock-Hawcreek school corporations, but also at Jennings County and Brownstown high schools.
To understand the impact the program has made, all one needed to do was attend an iGrad luncheon April 17 at The Commons in Columbus, where 100 high school seniors were recognized for their accomplishments.
This program continues to play a key role in helping at-risk youths turn around their academics and create a better future for themselves. It’s a program that deserves continued support, especially more volunteers willing to mentor students.
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Shining example
Lexi Tallent is a busy student-athlete at Hauser High School. The freshman played on the junior varsity girls basketball team, and also plays on the softball team. She has hit the books hard, too, earning straight A’s this school year.
That’s impressive for any student, but a bit more so for someone with achondroplasia, the most common type of short-limbed dwarfism. That’s made athletics more of a challenge for Tallent than other girls.
However, Tallent is an example of how hard work, determination and a big heart can carry a person to success despite physical challenges.
She is as committed to her work on the field/court as she is in the classroom.
Reforms needed sooner
Consider this when taking a stance on the immigration issue: Columbus’ robust economy has a heavy reliance on foreign-born workers.
Companies that need engineers, such as Cummins Inc. or LHP Engineering Solutions, recruit the top engineering schools across the country, but find that nearly all the graduates are foreign nationals. In fact, it was noted at a forum on immigration April 19 at the Columbus Learning Center that more foreign-born workers have come to Columbus than Americans from other parts of the country in six of the past eight years.
However, it takes immigrants from China an average of seven years, and those from India about 10, to gain permanent residency status in the United States. That’s far too long of a process for those who make positive contributions to U.S. companies and communities, and shows the need for more expedient immigration reforms.
