‘Kauffman Scholars is always going to be a part of me.’

“It’s important to have role models that look like you, that you can use as an example in your mind as this is possible. If they can do it, so can I,” says Vilmer Alvarado, Kauffman Scholar and recent graduate of the University of Kansas.

“I know that was always incredibly important to me to have people within the program that look like me, and that went through similar experiences that I went through, to show me that regardless of wherever I came from, it’s possible to graduate from college.”

To discuss their experience as Kauffman Scholars and the impact of the program, Alvarado and fellow Kauffman Scholar Michaela Brooks joined Kauffman Scholars Career and Alumni Program Coordinator AshleyMarie Marie (who was also a member of the inaugural class of Kauffman Scholar awardees), for two Uncommon Conversations at an ideal time for reflection.

As the decades-long Kauffman scholarship program prepares to sunset next year, the Foundation continues to celebrate the scholars and examine the lessons learned from an effort that has impacted more than 800 students. Listen as Marie welcomes these two scholars into conversation and into the strong Kauffman Scholar Alumni family.

The Kauffman Scholars program is a multi-year postsecondary access, persistence, completion, and scholarship program designed to help students in Kansas City prepare for and earn a postsecondary credential, diversifying the local career-professional pipeline. Entering the program in seventh grade, scholars receive the tools they need to achieve success, both in the classroom as students and as young professionals in the workplace. This includes high-quality, student-centered coaching for each scholar throughout their journey.