Publication Date
5-4-2023
Document Type
Student Project
First Advisor
Burton, James
Degree Name
B.S. (Bachelor of Science)
Department
Department of Management
Abstract
Laos is a developing country where quality education is in short supply. For the past years, teenagers and young adults have been applying for various scholarships to pursue their education somewhere else. According to Scholarshipads.com (2022), Lao students are generally eligible for more than 1000 different international scholarships every year, this does not include the number of awardees each scholarship offers. The education ranges from high school, course, associate, undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees. Most of these scholarships and financial aid are partial to full-expense funding.
Even though students apply and desire to be selected, they do not meet the minimum criteria for adequate education, English language proficiency, application filling skills, interview skills, leadership experiences, work experiences, community involvement, and, most importantly, the value of their identity and story. This issue can be solved if students have the right guidance and understanding of what they can do to prepare themselves for such opportunities at an early age.
The purpose of this project is to outline optimal and potential coaching and mentoring program for underprivileged and general students in Laos to ensure equal opportunities in applying for higher education scholarships abroad. Through a survey and secondary research, the program will explain the best ways students can prepare themselves for various scholarships. The survey has shown a major disconnect in what skills students believe to be essential to receive a scholarship compared to what scholarship providers look for. The programs will focus on coaching and mentoring students to lessen the equity gap between high and low-income families in Laos by allowing their children to have access to the knowledge and training they need to be successful in applying for scholarships; helping them to break through the cycle of poverty through higher education.
Recommended Citation
Sirivong, Vilaya, "Coaching and Mentoring Programs Ensuring Equal Opportunity to Higher Education for Laotian Students" (2023). Honors Capstones. 1454.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/studentengagement-honorscapstones/1454
