Jordan Wings Scholar: Grace Mensah
Our partnership with Jordan Wings provides a debt-free path to college for selected Scholars each year. What a perfect culmination of LINK’s fellowship program and our organizational mission!
This year, we’re so proud to celebrate Grace Mensah as our latest Jordan Wings Scholar!
Recipients are selected for their academic dedication, creativity, authenticity, and commitment to overcoming obstacles — and Grace is one of just 23 Scholars nationwide chosen for this prestigious honor.
Here’s what Grace had to say about her Jordan Wings experience:
Before I even received an invitation from LINK to interview with Jordan Wings, I vividly remember having a conversation with my father, a single parent who drives for Uber and Lyft to provide for our family. We talked about the cost of my education and whether attending the school I dreamed of would even be possible.
I remember sitting in study hall when I opened my financial aid email from UMass Amherst and saw a number that confirmed every fear I had about college. In that moment, I felt a wave of hopelessness, like my dream had been completely shattered. I rushed downstairs to my counselor’s office to talk to her. She pulled out a pen and paper and gave me a full reality check on what it would take for me to attend UMass. If I truly wanted to go, I would need to take on hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans just to make it possible. I remember crying in her arms, thinking about what this meant for my future. It wasn’t that UMass was my only option; but it was my top choice. And in that moment, I couldn’t help but think about the hundreds of other students in the same position: accepted into schools they simply couldn’t afford.
For days after receiving my financial aid letter, I couldn’t bring myself to show it to my father. I knew it would break him, and I didn’t want to add more stress to everything he was already carrying. When I finally showed him, I expected him to feel the same defeat I did. Instead, he told me that this was not the end of my story. He reminded me that I could not let our financial situation become a barrier to my education.
As I’m writing this, I can’t help but get emotional. My father reminded me of how far we’ve come and how we simply cannot afford to give up. Education is something he fought so hard for me to have. The fact that I’ve made it this far is something he once could only dream of for himself. He told me to hold on to the hope I carry in my heart.
Mr. Semper at LINK can attest to this—I sent him a panicked email asking if, since I made it to Phase 1 of the Jordan Wings scholarship, I could rely on it. He gave me an honest answer: There were no guarantees, and I needed to continue applying for other opportunities. Then, a few days later, while working my usual shift at Target, I received an email saying I had made it to Phase 2 of the scholarship. I immediately sent it to my father, and the excitement and hope we felt in that moment were unmatched.
Over the next few weeks, I prepared intensely for my interview, gathering documents, meeting with my counselors, and doing multiple mock interviews with the people who support me. On the day of the interview, I remember feeling both hopeful and grateful. I had prepared myself mentally for any outcome. I expected a standard interview with one representative, but when I joined the Zoom call and saw multiple people from LINK and Jordan Wings, I felt startled and intimidated at first. Then everything changed.
During the call, my siblings were in the background, confused as to why I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I was trying to process what was happening, crying and almost hyperventilating with joy. I remember falling into my younger sister’s arms, trying to make sense of the moment.
When my dad got home from work, I told him the news. Before I could even finish my sentence, he broke down in tears—happy tears. It was the first time I had ever seen my father cry. In the days that followed, I shared the news with my mentors, school counselors, and leaders, and I was met with an overwhelming amount of love and support.
Congratulations, Grace! We are so very proud of you, and we can’t wait to see how your future unfolds in college!
