Encouraging low income adults to go back to school

College graduates can earn one million dollars more than a high school graduate over the course of a lifetime. That's why Tulsa Community College is trying to encourage low-earning adults to go back

Monday, June 21st 2004, 4:12 pm

By: News On 6

College graduates can earn one million dollars more than a high school graduate over the course of a lifetime. That's why Tulsa Community College is trying to encourage low-earning adults to go back to school.

News on 6 anchor Terry Hood has more on TCC's program to push higher education. Some say the toughest parts of going to college are getting in and paying for it. The Educational Opportunity Center tries to give low-income adults the tools to do both.

Counselors sit down one on one with students and help them navigate the college application process. They help them file for financial aid, pick a college, even choose a career. Its part of a federal program aimed at helping low-income students overcome social and economic barriers to higher education.

Counselor Jodi Jones knows some of the obstacles these students go through. She went back to school at 39. With federal help, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees. Now she is helping other students. "This is the part I had to do by myself and itâ€™s so very very hard. And if I didn't have an older daughter who told me mother you can go back to school I wouldn't have known how to do it. So that's why this is exciting to me."

Jones and the Educational Opportunity Center helped 1,000 students last year and about that many this year.