Polk County Public Schools
Donna Cross, a guidance counselor at Lakeland’s Kathleen High, was named 2008 Mentor Of The Year by the Virginia-based Ron Brown Scholar Program. She was selected from more than 5,000 high school counselors nominated nationally.
Established in 1996 by the privately funded CAP Charitable Foundation, the Ron Brown Scholar Program honors the legacy of the late Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown, the first African American to serve in the cabinet as Secretary of Commerce.
Cross was involved with her school’s guidance department securing approximately $7.5 million in scholarship funds for Kathleen High students in a recent year.
The Ron Brown Scholar program recognizes individuals going above and beyond their regular duties to help students with academic concerns. The scholar program established an annual award for the first time in 2008 honoring an individual for dedication in helping students succeed through academic advising. Cross is the inaugural Mentor Of The Year from the program.
Cross was nominated for the award by 2008 Kathleen High salutatorian Desiree Montgomery. Montgomery was one of 20 students nationally last year to be awarded a Ron Brown Scholar Program scholarship and one of approximately 1,000 students nationally to win a Gates Millennium scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Cross was instrumental in helping Montgomery earn both prestigious scholarships. Montgomery won the scholarships despite being in foster care and residing at Lakeland’s Florida Baptist Children’s Home.
Montgomery, now a student at Lakeland’s Southeastern University, wrote the following in nominating Cross for Mentor Of The Year:
“If there is one thing I will remember about her after I graduate, it is the tremendous devotion she exhibited towards all her students,” Montgomery wrote. “Throughout the school year, her office is always open for students to do research, work on applications and receive personalized attention and mentoring. In essence, Mrs. Cross’ diligence, strength and selflessness are inspiring. She personifies the Ron Brown philosophy by constantly motivating her students to rise above their circumstances and working at the grassroots level to impact the lives of others.”
Cross is featured at the www.ronbrown.org Web site and in Ron Brown Scholar Program publications.
