Many college students will complain about the cramped confines of their dorm room. But not Curtis Adkins whose living arrangements at college were far nicer than the park bench he slept on as a homeless 12-year-old. As the March 10 deadline approaches for submitting federal college financial aid forms, Adkins’ story reveals how best to help low-income students not only reach college but also earn a degree that leads to a good-paying job. After being kicked out of the house by his mom and stepdad, Adkins stayed with friends and extended family, not knowing from one night to the next where he would sleep. After spending one of those nights on a park bench, Adkins agreed to live with a family whose only condition was that he attend church with them at Shepherd Community. Adkins also had been expelled from Indianapolis Public Schools, so the church’s youth ministry helped him land three part-time jobs to pay tuition at Indianapolis Christian School. Upon graduating from high school, Adkins headed off for Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, West Virginia. “The biggest challenge wasn’t leaving home. I already had left home several years ago,” Adkins explained. “My fear was that I wasn’t going to be able to do college work because I had struggled academically in high school.” The church and youth ministry that first helped him land on his feet then helped him launch into his future. “There were 10 different people from the church who stayed in touch,” Adkins remembered. “They pushed me and encouraged me. They believed in me and were really counting on me. And that’s the big reason that I did well. It would have been so easy to quit, but I didn’t want to let them down. They wouldn’t let me fail, even when things got tough.” Adkins says he achieved a GPA of 3.5 while earning a bachelor’s degree in Christian counseling and vocational ministries. He now is employed by Shepherd Community, mentoring low-income public high school students. He then provides ongoing support and encouragement – from care packages and cards to phone calls and campus visits – while they are in college. While low-income students need enough money to attend college, Curtis Adkins’ story reveals that money alone is not enough to ensure that they will earn a college degree. That also is the story of the state’s Twenty-First Century Scholars program, which provides four years of college tuition (at the rate of a public university) to low-income students who earn at least a “C” average, avoid alcohol, drugs and criminal activity, and enroll in an Indiana college within two years of completing high school. Since 1995, the state has awarded $125 million in scholarships. Results are mixed. The Twenty-First Century Scholars are more likely than other low-income students to earn an associate’s degree, a basic requirement in today’s economy. However, they are not much different from other low-income students in earning a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the Twenty-First Century Scholars remain more likely than middle- and upper-income students to leave college without a degree. Indiana’s results are not unique. National research reveals that low-income students, even those who are successful academically, often face the greatest challenges to completing college. In fact, a high-achieving low-income student is less likely to earn a degree than a low-achieving student from a high-income household. Only 17 percent of low-income Hoosier students enroll in college (below the national average of 23 percent). Of those, roughly one-third will earn a bachelor’s degree and enjoy the subsequent benefits of increased job opportunities and higher salaries. Indiana’s Twenty-First Century Scholars program reveals that financial aid definitely is needed by low-income students. Yet, money alone does not guarantee college success. In response, Indiana colleges and universities offer on-campus programs to help these students through their unique challenges related to college work and campus life. And as Curtis Adkins learned, individual mentors and community organizations also can make a difference in whether or not a low-income student earns a college diploma. “I can see why a lot of the low-income college students don’t graduate,” Adkins said. “Most of them are not receiving help from their families. Without someone pushing you and helping you gain that extra drive, it’s so easy to just pack up and go home.” Bill Stanczykiewicz is President & CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. He can be reached at iyi@iyi.org.