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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Advocate enjoys giving gift of hope to students
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She got accepted to three colleges: Wellesley, Spelman and Keuka.
Wellesley was a no-go — too close to her Roxbury, Mass., home.
Spelman College, unfortunately, didn’t offer enough financial aid.
So Arlene Wesley Cash went with Keuka College, a former women’s college in New York state that offered her a full ride. There, she double-majored in philosophy and English. Later, she studied philosophy at Kent State University.
Cash of Snellville was the first in her family to attend college. She took education seriously. Still does.
While a high school student, she took part in Upward Bound, a federal college preparation program. When her college offers started rolling in, she was asked to speak to younger students. That presentation solidified her vocation.
“On that afternoon, I was convinced that, to at least one or two students, I had given them the greatest gift of all — hope,” she told me in an e-mail.
Nearly three decades later, Cash continues to inspire. She’s now at one of the colleges she’d wanted to attend. She’s Spelman’s vice president for enrollment management, and apparently does a stellar job.
She’s featured in an April 27 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education titled, “10 Admissions Deans Who Are Shaping Their Field.” The authors crowned Cash “one of academe’s most passionate advocates for women’s colleges.”
For this married mother of three boys, interest in helping students pursue college extends beyond Spelman.
Last year, she started getting e-mails from some young ladies at her son’s high school. They were overwhelmed by the college selection process. In the students, Cash saw herself.
So she and Jennifer Owens, a Spelman colleague, started Project Jump Start. It’s a program for Gwinnett students, many of whom might be the first in their families to attend college. A workshop is to be held this summer that tackles several topics and includes a “been there, done that” session with current college students.
I know Cash because her son, David, is in my book club. You may be aware of her efforts to help start Ivy Preparatory Academy, a Gwinnett all-girls school. It would serve kids from the Meadowcreek cluster, and, if approved by the Gwinnett school board and state DOE, would open in 2008 as a middle school. It eventually will add a high school.
“This would be innovative and a new approach to education,” Cash said, “and that’s what Gwinnett is about.”
It’s always rewarding to enjoy your profession. But when your avocation becomes your vocation, that’s ideal.
Just ask Cash.
“This is why I live and write with such passion about what I do,” she said. “I truly love it.”
Students still can register for the Project Jump Start workshop, tentatively set for Aug. 4 at the Centerville Community Center. Organizers need a workshop lunch sponsor. For information, call Arlene Cash: 404-270-5186.
— Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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