Helping College Students on the Path to Graduation and Unenrolled Students toward Future Stability with College Possible Wisconsin

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service story of AmeriCorps member Connor Grossnickle, who served two terms with College Possible Wisconsin. Conner describes his service providing coaching to roughly 150 students from underserved backgrounds as they pursue their college degree, with over half of his students at Milwaukee Area Technical College, as well as those attending Mount Saint Mary University, UW-Milwaukee, and other colleges across the country. He discusses not only helping them with common pitfalls that students face, such as issues with financial aid and registering for classes, but also helping them become comfortable on campus, particularly with many of them being first-generation college students. Connor also describes how he was assisting a sizeable number of unenrolled students as they navigated various challenges, working to help them on a path to financial stability either through planning out their course towards financial stability, whether reenrolling for school, becoming a part-time students, or pursuing another path towards certification for a job or starting their future career. Listen in to learn about how Conner started his journey as an AmeriCorps member and how he hopes to build on that experience in his future career endeavors supporting the work of Milwaukee area nonprofits organizations.  NOTE: The interview for this episode was recorded on the morning of April 25, 2025 prior to the unexpected termination of Wisconsin AmeriCorps program grants that evening, which impacts questions and responses by Connor about the remainder of his service term.