Lund’s New Horizons Education Program and the Community College of Vermont are delighted to announce that Kathy Rossman and Katie Mobley have been awarded the Outstanding Collaboration Award from the KidSafe Collaborative in recognition of their work to bring the Introduction to College Studies class to young mothers studying at Lund. Believing that this class is a critical step on the path towards getting students able to imagine themselves capable and successful in a college environment, Kathy and Katie worked hard to make it possible for students at New Horizons to attend the class. Their innovative thinking led to holding the class onsite at Lund and being flexible with the timing of the class and the semester so that as many moms as possible could successfully attend.
Fewer than 2% of teen moms finish college by age 30 (ncsl.org). Teen motherhood not only affects the mom’s own goals and life trajectory but that of her child as well – only 2/3rds of children born to a teen mom earn a high school diploma and they are much more likely to grow up in poverty. Lund’s collaboration with the Community College of Vermont through the energetic and dedicated work of Kathy Rossman and Katie Mobley ensure that moms have the opportunity to change the lives of their families.
Vermont has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the nation, but a very low college continuation rate (consistently one of the bottom 5 states). We lose lots of smart high school students in the transition to college and Kathy and Katie’s work is turning the curve on this problem for the young women and families that they work with.
The award ceremony took place on Thursday, April 28 at the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington and was attended by over 300 people. Other community leaders, volunteers and individuals who make a difference in the lives of children were also honored. You can read more about the other awardees here.
Learning Together Coordinator, Tammy Santamore and current CCV student Skyler Browder spoke at the ceremony to thank and congratulate Katie and Kathy. Skyler who began her college career with the ICS program at Lund is in her third semester at CCV and has a 4.0 GPA, a fact which elicited a round of applause from the crowd. She thanked Kathy and Katie for always believing in her and support her as she worked hard to forge a new life for herself and her young son.
Kathy has been the science and math teacher at New Horizons for almost three years but has been a classroom teacher for 16 years. She graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Geology and is a licensed teacher in the state of Vermont. Kathy is currently in the graduate program at Southern New Hampshire University pursuing a Master’s Degree in Education and Technology Integration.
Katie has worked in higher education since 1997, beginning as an admissions counselor at her alma mater, Middlebury College. In 2002, she graduated from the University of Vermont’s Higher Education and Student Affairs program. She has worked at the Community College of Vermont for the past fourteen years in a variety of roles including Coordinator of Academic Services and Co-Director of Secondary Education Initiatives, where she was involved with ACT 77 and the Expanded Learning Task Force. She has served on the Building Bright Futures Council, and she is currently on the board of Vermont Family Network, as well as the board of Vermont Afterschool. She serves as the Director of Outreach and Development for CCV. CCV is Vermont’s second largest college, serving over 7,000 students each semester. With 12 locations and extensive online learning options, students don’t have to travel far from their communities to access our degree and certificate programs, workforce, secondary and continuing education opportunities, and academic and veterans support services.
Congratulations to Kathy Rossman and Katie Mobley for their important and successful collaborative work.
