Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallorye Crowell.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am the CEO & Founder of Higher Foundation, Inc. I founded Higher in February 2017 to keep my vow to God that once He helped me graduate, I would glorify Him and help other students get through college. To say that my six-year long college experience was challenging and sometimes defeating would be an understatement. I attended Valdosta State University from August 2010 to May 2013, and I attended The Georgia Institute of Technology from August 2013 to May 2016. During those six years, I overcame lack, food insecurity, housing instability, resource scarcity, financial strain, abortion, a near-death car accident, and so much more.
Every one of my semesters came with great adversities, but Summer 2014 at Georgia Tech was by far my hardest semester. I was enrolled in summer classes and working part-time on campus in the Student Center, and about mid-way in the semester, the financial aid office notified me that my Hope Scholarship hours were maxed out, and I reached my Stafford Unsubsidized Loan Undergraduate maximum. I asked them what else could I do to pay my outstanding balance for Fall 2014, and they said I could try to find a private loan. I applied to every private loan I could, but each loan denied me. I began to worry because not only did I need financial aid to finish my last 30 hours of college, but I also needed financial aid to pay for my on-campus housing fees. I was out of options for loans and grants, so I asked my family if they could come together to help me pay my balance. Nobody offered me any money except my biological father. He and I have never had a relationship, so I was hesitant to accept his offer. I thought to myself, “God, I don’t want anyone to get the glory out of my story, but you. I don’t want my dad to come in to rescue me for bragging rights, but God if this is my way out, I will say yes.” I told my dad yes and thank you, but I must say, I never really felt like this storm had passed. Something told me that he would not do what he promised to do, and just like I thought, he didn’t do it. At first, I was upset, but then I rejoiced because I thought, “God, you must have another way out for me.”
By now, I was critically thinking of every plan, counting up all types of numbers, and praying like you could not imagine. I remember saying, “God, you have to do something. I only have 30 hours left to graduate. I will be homeless and not enrolled in college by August if you don’t do this for me, but I trust you.” I started weighing my options and trying to handle one problem at a time, so I decided to complete Summer 2014 semester and sit out Fall 2014 semester to work and save money to pay for school myself. I found a job at Office Depot in addition to my current job on-campus, and I agreed to get an apartment with my friend and trust God for the rest. (Keep in mind, I am still in school, so I have the stress of my classes, tuition and fees, housing, and everything else life had to throw at me all on my back, but I continued to move forward.)
I started working at Office Depot, and even though that is not where I wanted to be, I had to do what I had to do. Things were starting to look a little bit better (so I thought), but then came another storm… literally. I was on my way to work, and it was raining. I was driving around a curb on the highway, and my car lost control. I swerved to the other side of the highway, and I crashed into a construction cone. The cone knocked off my side mirror, and it broke my passenger window. Glass was everywhere, my arms and fingers were cut up and bleeding, my window was busted, so rain was coming into my car, and I was defeated. I had been strong and hopeful all summer long, but this was my breaking point. Not only did I almost die (thank God the other side of the highway was shut down for construction and no construction workers were on site), but now my mode of transportation to and from work is messed up, which means I can’t go to work. If I can’t go to work, I miss pay, and I risk getting fired from my new job. If I miss pay, I am going to be short on the rent money I need to move into my new apartment. All of these problems were running wild in my mind as I was getting soaked in the rain with glass and blood all over me. I called my mom, and I remember her saying, “Mallorye, God did not bring you this far to leave you”. After I realized sitting in that car feeling sorry for myself was not going to make anything better, I got myself together, got my car towed, got the window fixed, went back to work, and focused on my upcoming finals.
I passed all of my classes that Summer 2014 semester, and I moved into my new apartment. Money was tight, and I had no idea how I was going to afford all of my bills, but I trusted God. I started looking for more jobs because my plan was to work as much as I could to save to pay for my tuition and fees. During my job search, I saw an internship opening at Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America. I applied there just to say I did because I didn’t think I was going to get it. The human resources representative called me about a week later and offered me an interview. I went to the interview, and the people seemed to really like me. I was happy, but after all that I had been through, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I just remember praying, “God, please show me favor”. A few days after the interview, they called me and said I got the job. They said the senior engineers were fighting over me because almost all of them wanted me to join their team. I was blown away at the favor God showed me. I started working at Panasonic in August 2014 as a co-op, so I was able to quit my on-campus job and my Office Depot job. God took two jobs away from me and gave me one engineering co-op that paid triple. Now I wasn’t sitting out a semester working two jobs and barely making ends meet, but I was working as an electrical engineering co-op saving money for college. I was so grateful to God because He truly did turn my situation around.
I continued to intern for Panasonic throughout college, and yet, I continued to face financial problems. After Summer 2014, I stopped setting graduation dates because every time I set one, it got pushed back. Thankfully in August 2016, I was awarded the SAL Loan, so I was finally able to declare May 2016 as my graduating term. I was so happy that I was finally about to graduate, so I made a vow to God that I would give him all the glory and honor for all that He had done for me. I kept this promise to God by founding Higher Foundation, Inc.
Higher Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes post-secondary education by providing mentorship and resources to prospective and current college students. Higher is everything I needed when I was in college. Students should not have to deal with lack, resource scarcity, homelessness, hungriness, and all other post-secondary education attainment barriers. They should be able to go to school, get an education, and focus on their academic and career goals. College is hard enough, and adding problems like food, shelter, bills, and textbooks only make college harder, so Higher is committed to helping students overcome these problems. Higher aims to make college easier and more attainable for all students, and we are committed to helping Georgia students go higher in their education and career.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Higher Foundation, Inc. promotes post-secondary education by providing mentorship and resources to prospective and current college students. Our main objective is to remove college-attainment barriers from the admission, retention, and completion stages of college, so students can go higher in their education and career. We provide mentorship, free school supplies, free technology, grants, and data reports to our students. We mentor students for all topics concerning college admission, retention, and completion via Skype or a voice conference call. We give students free resources such as school supplies, technology, and grants through the submission of an application. We do not require students to meet minimum GPA or income requirements to receive our mentorship or resources. We also share data reports from state and federal agencies related to Georgia’s condition of education to keep Georgians informed on our public education system.
Our goal is to consistently increase the population aged 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in the state of Georgia. We plan to reach our goal by focusing on the following causes: college and career ignorance, resource scarcity, sustainable commute, food insecurity, housing instability, and Georgia education. Our causes are focused on removing college attainment barriers and making college easier for students, so more students can complete college and be successful in their career. Our target audience is Georgia high school and college students from ages 14 – 25. To best serve our state and students, each year we focus on specific school districts and colleges based on education statistics and population. We choose the school districts based on the school’s graduation rates, SAT scores, ACT scores, and immediate college enrollment rates.
We choose the colleges and universities based on education statistics such as student population, college admission rates, college retention rates, and college graduation rates. Although we cater to specific school districts and colleges each year, we still serve other students outside of our target audience no matter their age, race, gender, or social class. Our greatest purpose is to serve students and help them go higher. We aim to help students attain a higher education and higher possibilities by removing college-attainment barriers from the admission, retention, and completion stages of college. We believe that with our services along with help from our schools, colleges, educators, parents, and community organizations, every Georgia student can go higher in his or her education and career.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Higher caters to Georgia students only, so since Atlanta is the capital city, it works out perfectly. Also, Atlanta and the surrounding cities are home to many Georgia public colleges, so we are able to reach a lot of college students right here in our city.
If someone was just starting a nonprofit organization that focuses on education, I would definitely recommend he or she starts here. Not just because of the many schools and colleges here, but because there are many other nonprofit organizations and business leaders that person could partner with to push their nonprofit’s mission. Atlanta is a great place to network and grow, and I believe there is room for everybody here to excel and shine.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.higherfoundation.org/
- Phone: 4049905434
- Email: info@higherfoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/higherfdninc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/higherfoundation
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