College can be a hectic and demanding four years, from balancing academic demands to overcoming personal challenges, but it can also be the most rewarding.
Donna Nguyen, a biology major at Temple University, moved with her father from Vietnam to the West Kensington neighborhood in North Philadelphia when she was 11. As a Franklin Learning Center High School senior, she wrote a personal essay hoping to be selected for Temple University’s Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program.
In her essay, she described Philadelphia as the land of opportunities: “Without coming here—I’m from Vietnam and came to the U.S. seven years ago—I wouldn’t have all the opportunities I get today.”
Finding such an opportunity, Nguyen was among the 22 students selected to the inaugural class of Cecil B. Moore Scholars.
Now, four years later, Nguyen, a first-generation college student, will be one of 16 students from the first class of Cecil B. Moore Scholars to walk at Temple’s 2025 graduation ceremony.
“Being a part of the program’s first graduating class is really special because we are proof that the program works,” said Nguyen, who is in the Honors Program at Temple. “Now I have a degree that I wouldn't have had without the program.”
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‘We help ensure these students have equal access’
Since 2021, the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program has provided selected students from Philadelphia public schools (district or charter) who live in Temple’s neighboring ZIP codes—19121, 19122, 19123, 19125, 19130, 19132, 19133 and 19140—with a full-tuition, four-year scholarship.
“The Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program is an opportunity for Temple to invest in students right here in our backyard of North Philadelphia,” said Valerie Harrison, vice president for community impact and civic engagement. “It is another way that we help ensure these students have access and sufficient resources to do their best work and be successful in college. It’s part of the bigger picture of Temple’s community connections.”
Each year since its launch in 2021, the program has partnered with educational nonprofit Heights Philadelphia (formerly called Steppingstone Scholars) to provide academic support to around 50 high school seniors selected for a dual enrollment program—a free Temple course—that counts as college credits. Of those seniors, 20–25 students are given the opportunity to become a Cecil B. Moore Scholar and attend a six-week, two-credit summer bridge program, which serves as an introduction to college life, opportunities and resources on Main Campus.
“As important as it is to Temple’s mission to provide students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to participate in a world-class four-year college education, it is equally important to support those students once they arrive on campus,” said Jose Aviles, vice provost for enrollment management. “And that’s what makes the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program so unique: Students who qualify for that program receive support from the day they enroll through their graduation, and we are seeing how that can be a difference-maker when it comes to ensuring these students stay on the path toward success.” [node:sidebar_text]
Scholars in the program enjoy a concierge relationship with all the services offered at Temple through Terrence Seales, the program’s director. Seales monitors each student’s academic progress and guides them through the cornucopia of resources at Temple that ensure student success in college. From connecting students to tutoring services to providing one-on-one check-ins and time management workshops, he helps in whichever way is needed.
“Throughout their college journey, I do my best to be accessible and hold them accountable, which I believe helps make a difference in their ability to achieve their goals, earn a college degree and apply the skills they learned in the workforce after Temple,” said Seales. “I encourage students to connect with Temple’s Career Center, their school or college advisors, and any additional resources necessary to help them succeed.”
‘It was a turning point for me’
Last fall semester, Nguyen had a transformational moment when she joined Temple’s STEM leadership fellowship program, working as a peer lab assistant in the Intro to Biology Lab course. In that role, she helped support and motivate the students through the difficult challenges that the course presents.
“It was a turning point for me. I didn’t know I would enjoy being a mentor so much,” said Nguyen. “This experience allowed me to learn a different side of myself. I feel like I will now try to incorporate mentorship into my future career in biology.”
Nguyen’s strong foundation in biology also landed her an internship as a lab technician at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital, where she pivoted from studying human medicine to animal health.
“Terrence and Paris Williams, our former advisor, have acted as a bridge between Temple and my professional life,” said Nguyen. “This program has been a big opportunity to make several connections and expand my professional journey.”
During her Temple journey, she also developed an interest in learning more in a setting outside of science. So, she pursued a business minor in management information systems from the Fox School of Business. Initially, she was overwhelmed with the decision, saying, “I felt it was a big mistake.” However, Seales gave her the guidance she needed to stick with it.
“He gave me the confidence and reassurance that I could explore a business minor even as a science student,” she added.
Nguyen will stay at Temple for another year to complete a master’s degree in biotechnology. She is enrolled in Temple’s PSM in biotechnology program, which offers a 4+1 accelerated track, which allows students to earn both a bachelor’s and master's degree. She hopes to have a career working as a lab manager or biotech project manager.
‘When I got accepted to Temple, I cried’
Sa’Dasia Jordan, a public health major at Temple, was exposed to Main Campus in fifth grade and even made a pact with her late grandfather that she would attend the North Broad Street campus.
“When I got accepted to Temple, I cried. Getting into this program and Temple was such an emotional thing,” she said. “My grandfather really wanted that opportunity for me; Temple is a big thing in my family.”
Jordan explained that initially, as a student at Temple, she was not engaged in campus life. As a commuter, she would immediately go home after classes. However, Seales and Williams had conversations and encouraged her to get more actively involved in extracurriculars at Temple.
The North Philadelphia native took their advice, serving as the social media coordinator for Eta Sigma Gamma, a national health education honorary society, and as a College of Public Health student ambassador. In addition, she landed an internship with the Black Women's Health Alliance, managing social media content.
“Terrence and Paris helped me come out of my shell and try activities on campus,” said Jordan. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably would have never joined these organizations myself.”
Jordan’s defining moment was when she was featured in the College of Public Health’s “Best of the Nest—Future Leader” story, highlighting her future in the public health and epidemiology profession.
After Temple, she would like to get a master’s in epidemiology to pursue a career as a health educator and become a clinical research coordinator to improve community health.
“Temple showed me growth opportunities and community; it’s where I discovered my passion for public health, building lifelong relationships and gaining the skills I need to make a lasting impact,” said Jordan. “Being a part of Temple’s legacy post-graduation inspires me to continue giving back to my community.”
‘Graduating college means breaking a generational cycle’
Rowana Aly, a management information systems major at Temple, also earned an opportunity in the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program’s inaugural cohort. The daughter of Egyptian immigrants, she moved with her mother to Olde Kensington in North Philadelphia at 3. As a senior at Philadelphia Virtual Academy, she joined Temple’s dual enrollment program, which gave her hope that college could be a reality, helping ease the transition from high school to college.
“Having exposure to a college classroom while in high school really helped build my confidence and ease the transition to college,” she said. “As a first-generation college student, I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the financial support from this program.”
As a Muslim, she said the diversity she found on Temple’s campus gave her a sense of belonging. She joined Temple’s Muslim Student Association and found comfort in finding people who shared similar experiences and upbringing.
She explained that initially, the biggest challenge for her at Temple was reaching out for help.
“At first, I would see asking for help as negative and more of a weakness, but the program’s mandatory one-on-ones showed me the benefits of reaching out,” explained Aly. “I learned that it takes a village to build success.”
Aly had a breakthrough moment in her third year at Temple, receiving her first internship as an area manager at Amazon. She managed about 200 employees across multiple departments and developed a new system that significantly reduced labor costs by over $60,000 per month. In fact, she was offered a full-time job at Amazon after her internship.
“Working at a large company like Amazon taught me how to work with a diverse group of associates,” said Aly. “I learned about change management, how to implement a system and strategies to motivate others to complete the product.”
“I was able to apply principles from courses I took at Temple where I learned about operations management and data analysis to analyze and present data effectively, identify areas for improvement and implement solutions that had a measurable impact,” she added.
After graduating from Temple, Aly wants to work as a technical business systems analyst, using technology systems to improve businesses.
“As a first-generation student and a woman, graduating college means breaking a generational cycle,” she said. “Not a lot of women in my family have careers, even in my extended family, so being the first in my family to graduate college means a lot to me.”
‘It was a full-circle moment’
Cory Matthews, an advertising major at Temple, grew up at 10th and Jefferson Street in North Philadelphia. He was raised by a single parent, Christine Redd, after the death of his biological mother when he was 3.
As a high school student at Parkway Center City Middle College, he demonstrated a strong business mentality, forming his own sneaker cleaning business before even being selected for the inaugural cohort of the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program. Initially, his mind was focused on getting a degree from Temple’s Fox School of Business. However, brands and logos aligned more with his passions, so he changed majors from business to advertising with a focus in brand strategy and research in the Klein College of Media and Communication.
“I always loved brands and logos. Advertising stood out to me because of what goes into analyzing brand colors, shapes and decision-making,” said Matthews. “I developed more of an emotional connection to advertising than business.”
He recalled his biggest challenge was overcoming an algebra course at Temple when he found out he had only one last chance to pass the class. Initially, his independent mentality made it difficult to ask for help, but Williams learned of his situation and paired him with a tutor who helped him pass.
“Before the program, I wanted to do everything on my own. Paris showed me that it is okay to ask for help,” explained Matthews. “After I passed the algebra course, I started utilizing more of the resources, which led me to more success for the rest of my journey at Temple.”
Matthews interned with the nonprofit NOMO Foundation, which provides programs for young people in Philadelphia to help them break the cycle of poverty and violence. The internship gave him the experience of managing the company’s social media page, which has 24,000 followers on Instagram.
Also, he became a youth mentor in the nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program. “Being a Cecil B. Moore Scholar is setting an example in your community by being a leader and helping to motivate the next generation with a similar upbringing, showing them that going to Temple is accessible,” said Matthews.
In a pinnacle moment, Matthews was selected to host the first annual Klein College Mock Pitch, a competition for local high schools to present advertising and public relations pitches to a panel of industry professionals and faculty members. As host, he was called on to manage the student volunteers, conduct talking points, and offer insights to the future media and communication professionals.
“As a native of Philadelphia, it was a full-circle moment to host an event that gave students in the Philadelphia public school district an opportunity to demonstrate their marketing skills on a major college campus like Temple,” he said. “It gave them a great opportunity to see what they can accomplish as a Klein College student in the future.”
As he pursues a career as a business consultant in brand strategy, Matthews is grateful to Temple for helping him grow and find his passion.
“Being a part of the program’s pilot class to graduate is very exciting,” Matthews said. “The program truly helps students achieve new success and higher goals. I will always be grateful for all the support and help I received throughout my four years at Temple.”