Nonprofit College Possible Helps Students Pursue Higher Ed Dreams

Applying for college can be overwhelming. It’s something Jojo Missoh, an incoming senior at Armstrong High School, knows all too well.

“As I’m approaching my senior year, I feel like now it’s time to actually talk about things I was afraid to talk about,” Missoh said.

Yet Missoh has a huge advantage going into her senior year. She has Haylee Fingalsen to help guide her through every step of the college application process.

“Me and her have a really strong bond,” Missoh said. “I really appreciate her. She makes high school life way more [easy] for me.”

Fingalsen is a coach from the nonprofit, College Possible. She’s a recent college grad herself, and it’s her job to help students at Armstrong fulfill their dreams of a college education.

“We help them access knowledge to the different paths that they can take, the different financial resources,” Fingalsen said. “And are really just kind of like an extra helping hand to them, to access something that’s very new to them and is a very big step forward once you graduate.”

College Possible Coach Haylee Fingalsen (left) works with Armstrong High School senior Jojo Missoh.

Missoh emigrated to the U.S. in 2012 from the African nation of Togo. She’s involved with several activities at Armstrong, and even started her own dance group.

Missoh meets with Coach Fingalsen periodically to go over things like ACT prep, financial aid opportunities and study abroad programs.

Missoh’s goal is to attend college in London, and Fingalsen is working to help her make that happen.

“College is very, very expensive and we want to show them, you can still go to college if you don’t have millions of dollars or whatever it is,” Fingalsen said. “We want to make sure everyone has access to college regardless of their background.”

It’s a message Missoh hears loud and clear, and College Possible is looking for more people like Fingalsen to help share their wisdom.

“It’s very, very helpful,” Missoh said of having a mentor like Fingalsen. “It’s like having a second mom within the school.”

College Possible is searching for AmeriCorps Members to join their team in the fall. For more information on the position and how to apply, you can go to the College Possible website.

Armstrong High School

New Hope | Plymouth | Robbinsdale

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