Meet a first-gen Brockton college student and the program that's supporting his dreams

BROCKTON — Twice a month since August 2022, Donald Simpreus, Lorrin Liang and Lou Jacoubs have met over Zoom on Friday afternoons. Simpreus tells them how school is going for him at Providence College. Sometimes they just study quietly on screen.

Simpreus graduated from Brockton High School last year in the top 20 of his class. Now, as a freshman biology major, he’s a first-generation college student.

“My parents didn’t go to college so you can’t personally ask them,” Simpreus said. “Definitely first semester was a growing experience.”

Simpreus is part of The Valedictorian Project — a statewide program for high-achieving students that matches them with mentors who share similar backgrounds and interests. The program first came to Brockton in 2022 and seven Brockton students, including Simpreus, were selected. Twenty-six students from the city were nominated for this year’s class.

Liang, 27, and Jacoubs, 32, are Simpreus’ two mentors and meet with him regularly to help him through the challenging college experience, keeping him on track to reach his goals.

“They really have lessened my anxiety about going into [college],” Simpreus said. “They definitely kept me accountable throughout the first semester.”

In school, Simpreus is on the pre-physician assistant track and is working to find an internship in the healthcare industry. Liang, who’s lived in Massachusetts for the last three years, is currently in medical school at Boston University.

Outside of class, Simpreus is interested in fitness and physical and mental wellness. Jacoubs, another graduate of Brockton High was on the football, wrestling and track and field teams while in high school and served as a U.S. Navy SEAL for more than six years.

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The three were matched up based on their academic and extracurricular interests. And Simpreus’ mentors often remind him that college should be fun.

“College is supposed to be a good time and I can learn other things besides academics,” Simpreus said.

College 'can feel really isolating' for first gen students

Amy McDermott, co-founder and executive director of the Valedictorian Project, said about 70% of students in the program are first-generation college students. And roughly 85% identify as students of color.

"Our students are overwhelmingly going to predominantly white institutions, and that can feel really isolating," McDermott said. "When they first step onto their campus, they don't see a lot of people that look like them and that can be really nerve wracking."

Roughly 84% of students in Brockton Public Schools identify as individuals of color and many are first- or second- generation Brocktonians.

McDermott said many students in the program come from low-income families. Each year, students in the program receive $500 to pay for textbooks or commuting expenses.

"We heard very early on that financial stress was one of the biggest things that our mentees were navigating. And that was keeping them from being able to focus on academics," she said. "They're all getting financial aid and scholarships and whatnot, but it still just doesn't cover how expensive school is."

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Each mentee excelled academically in high school and almost all took AP, IB or honors courses. But on top of schoolwork, they each were leaders for various student groups in their respective schools.

The program is free to the cities and schools the Valedictorian Project works in, and it's entirely funded by grant money. The Jack & Kathy Shields Family Foundation funds their work in Brockton.

Dealing with imposter syndrome

Simpreus applied to seven colleges and was accepted into five. He said Providence College offered him merit scholarships, which he called "a relief."

“I was really confident in my application,” Simpreus said. "I know how much work I put into my years in high school."

When he first got to campus, the trio worked on developing time management skills and navigating insecurities and imposter syndrome.

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"I know that Donald was having a little bit of nervousness about starting school and being concerned about imposter syndrome," Liang said. "It can be hard coming from a first-generation student perspective."

Although he excelled in high school, college came with a learning curve. But Simpreus found support in his two mentors.

"I had to open myself up to going to tutoring service and not being ashamed and reaching out to the academic center to learn different strategies," he said.

Since Liang and Jacoubs are both working towards degrees in the medical field, they can relate to Simpreus' academic challenges and "commiserate" with him as they finish their next semester of classes.

“Something that is really inspiring about Donald is he has a direction that he understands he wants his life to take,” Liang said.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton: Valedictorian Project provides mentors to college students