When reviewing the criteria for the 2012 Service Impact Award, it was clear that Cherkos Dessalegn was perfect for this recognition. He demonstrated what it truly means to impact the lives of those he serves. I have had the great fortune of supervising Cherkos since August 2010 in his term of service through College Possible. His unwavering dedication to his students has made him a role model for his students and peers.
Cherkos has come full circle in the College Possible program. College Possible is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making college admission and success possible for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching support. As someone who went through this program in high school, Cherkos realized its value in influencing students to continue on with their education. After successfully graduating from Southwest Minnesota State University, he wanted to give back the gift his mentor gave him. For the last two years, Cherkos has been serving as a high school coach for a group of 40 students at his high school alma mater, supporting their ACT preparation and helping them through the college and financial aid application process.
To date, Cherkos has served over 3200 hours helping students realize their dreams of attending a four year institution. While many doubted the possibility of his students achieving their goals, he stood by them and did everything possible to make their dreams a reality. There are many, even within our organization, who are discouraged about the opportunities available for these students, but Cherkos challenged cynicism.
Cherkos was instrumental in helping his students raise their ACT scores by nearly 26%. They have been accepted to over 90 institutions with a 92% college acceptance rate thus far. He continues to work tirelessly on helping the other 8% into college. Cherkos continues to advocate for his students by telling admissions counselors that his students have the potential and ability to succeed at a four-year institution.
I have been greatly impressed with Cherkos’ diligence in working with all his students, but particularly those many labeled as underachievers. He helped students apply to college after college and, despite discouraging news, he encourages them to continue to apply. Cherkos has witnessed many Cinderella stories within his cohort which make those accomplishments that much sweeter. However, not all students have their happy ending; nevertheless, they are grateful for how much effort and energy Cherkos put into their future these last two years. The bond built between him and his students is one that will always remain and cannot ever be broken.
Cherkos is an individual who epitomizes the ideal of serving a community to make a great impact. It is through these acts of altruism that he stands out amongst his AmeriCorps peers. I will truly miss the energy and dedication he brings to this organization. It brings me great honor to have supervised such a wonderful individual and I cannot think of anyone more deserving for the Service Impact Award than Cherkos Dessalegn.