For many first-generation students who graduate from high school, the thought of their attending college appears far on the horizon, a distant but unlikely dream of ivory towers and higher education.

When Oxford Area High School seniors Daniela P. Ayllon and Emely Rodriguez stepped off the podium at the school’s commencement on May 31, they graduated with that dream firmly in their future.

Ayllon and Rodriguez will be attending Elizabethtown College in Lancaster, Pa. as the 2024 recipients of the Rigg Family Chester County Futures Scholarship, which will provide them with full room, board, and tuition for up to eight semesters. 

Established in 2018, the scholarship is funded by Elizabethtown alumni Robert Rigg and his wife, Karen to provide financial assistance to underrepresented or first-generation students from the Chester County Futures “Passport to College” program to attend the College every year. In 2021, the Riggs gave the College the largest gift toward an endowed scholarship by a living donor in the College’s history.

“Chester County Futures and the Riggs have granted me the opportunity to pursue my goal of expanding my learning without me having to worry about how I will be getting through,” said Ayllon, who intends to major in accounting. “Not only have they given me a great support system, they have also given me a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.”

“This scholarship will help me achieve my goals, the first of which is getting a college education and not having to worry about my financial security,” said Rodriguez, who plans to major in psychology. “I will be able to have access to resources like an internship that will help me in my future career. I sincerely thank the Riggs for this wonderful opportunity and scholarship.”

Once they arrive on campus in the fall, Ayllon and Rodriguez will participate in Elizabethtown College’s Momentum Program, which introduces incoming students to the College’s robust curriculum through real-world learning opportunities and acclimates them to the college environment. Momentum students are connected with student mentors, faculty, professional staff, administrators, and alumni who have been or would have been involved in the Momentum program.

“Chester County Futures is very thankful for the partnership with Elizabethtown College, which continues to provide hope and opportunities for students to succeed in life while investing in the future,” said Chester County Futures Executive Director Katie Breslin Duffus. “Together we provide the support, resources, and encouragement to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals, ensuring that no obstacle stands in the way of their success.” 

Chester County Futures was founded in 1996 on an alarming fact -- that Chester County, one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. -- experiences pockets of poverty that were limiting several students from achieving their dreams of academic enrichment. Over the past 28 years, it has helped more than 1,000 students navigate high school through after-school programming, mentoring and post-secondary scholarship support to students in the Coatesville Consolidated, Kennett Consolidated, Oxford Area and Phoenixville Area school districts.

Of the student demographic the organization assists, nearly two-thirds are Hispanic and one quarter are African American; and 80 percent are first-generation.

To date, the organization has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships to students, which come from grants, special events, annual appeals and individual and corporate donations. In addition, donors who contribute to Chester County Futures through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program can receive up to a 90 percent tax credit on their personal PA state tax liability.

For Chester County Futures, tapping into the potential of students like Ayllon and Rodriguez begins as early as their middle school years during recruitment presentations to area schools within the four districts the organization serves.

“When we first start talking to students as early as the eighth grade, getting them to think about what they ae going to do after high school is a process that many haven’t yet started,” Duffus said. “Yet when they enter the “Passport to College Program” by the time they reach ninth and tenth grade, they begin to value what they are learning. At our students exit interviews, we ask them, ‘How well prepared do you feel compared to your friends?’ Many of them tell us that at first, they perceived themselves as being well behind, but as they evolve, they begin to see the value the program is having on them.”

Mary Williams, Chester County Futures’ Director of Community Engagement, said that the “Passport to College” program has served as an incubator for young people who have gone on to receive college degrees, work in professional capacities and serve on area boards in partnership with Chester County Futures. The organization’s graduates also return to serve on the agency’s board as committee members and as organization employees.

As a former teacher in the “Passport to College” program, Williams has had the opportunity to see several students nurture their own pathways. One of those students was Daniela Ayllon, whom she recently saw graduate from Oxford Area High School and deliver a short message at the Chester County Futures commencement in May.

“I have known Danielle since she was in middle school and taught her when she was in the seventh and eighth grade,” Williams said. “Over the past several years, I have been able to form a trusted relationship with her in my time as a teacher and become close to her family.

“Watching her journey come full circle and then to see her speak at our celebration was a very powerful moment.” 

To learn more about Chester County Futures and its many programs for students, visit www.ccfutures.org. 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].