The rising cost of college is complicating the decision on whether or not to pursue higher education. At FCUS, the Osceola Prosper program offers students the chance to attend Valencia College or Osceola Technical College for free.
Senior Matthew Mackivitch is taking advantage of the program to attend Valencia College in fall 2024. He explained that hearing about the program reopened avenues that he felt the cost of college had previously blocked.
“For me, personally, I find its impact is really beneficial in, like, my actual desire to go to college. Because when I was younger, I was always so interested in college in like middle school, whatever. It was always like my big goal,” Mackivitch said. “But I just really liked the idea of going to college and getting a more expensive education. But then as I got older, I realized how much debt you could gain just by going to any institution really, and it became a really major concern on my part where I didn’t want to go college anymore just due to the amount of debt that I would likely put myself into even with scholarships and stuff. ”
Although he is not sure exactly what he wants to study, Mackivitch knows that he wishes to pursue a type of engineering. After earning an associate’s degree he wishes to complete the direct transfer program to go from attending Valencia to the University of Central Florida. He first heard of Osceola Prosper through FCUS and gained further advice about transferring to UCF from family.
“My brother-in-law actually did the same where he went to Valencia for two years and then direct connected to UCF. So, he was the main reason why I thought this would be worth my time,” Mackivitch said.
Osceola Prosper began in 2022 with the intent of helping to raise dropping enrollment rates. It was meant to benefit the community as a whole by making it easier for graduates from Osceola high schools to attend college.
“ The Osceola Prosper program, launched in March 2022, stands as a beacon of hope for recent high school graduates in Osceola County. It was specifically designed to counter the decline in college enrollment in Fall 2020 due to the pandemic,” Valencia’s Osceola Prosper director Nelson Fernandez stated.
This benefit has remained in place for the classes of 2023 and 2024. Steps have been taken by FCUS and Valencia College to ensure that students can understand the ways the program can benefit them. For instance, there was a group tour and an information session for seniors.
Senior Ken Michael Alviola attended this session and toured the school. He plans to attend Valencia in either the summer or fall of 2024.
Explaining his understanding of Osceola Prosper he stated, “Actually I heard about it from last year because they [seniors] all said [they were taking advantage of] Osceola Prosper. I heard about it from my senior friends.”
Fernandez explained that the goal of the program is to remove any financial obstacles students may face in order to help develop the community as a whole. In order to partake in the program students only need to submit the FAFSA and a Valencia College or Osceola Technical College application.
“A well-educated population results in a more well-rounded community. Osceola County youth have access to higher education with fewer costs and barriers, and they now have the potential to expand and grow their wealth and give back to the Osceola County community.” high school graduates in Osceola County. It was specifically designed to counter the decline in college enrollment in Fall 2020 due to the pandemic,” Fernandez stated. “A significant 20% fewer Osceola residents enrolled at Valencia College in 2020 compared to 2019. Recognizing the potential long-term effects of this trend, the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners took a proactive step, authorizing scholarship funding.” Fernandez said.
