One college reaches out to refugees
By Sara Lipka

Zlatko Mladenovic started scrubbing dishes in a campus dining hall when he was 14, but he was not sure how he would ever afford college.

Mr. Mladenovic, who is from Bosnia, came to the United States in 1999 when the State Department admitted him, his mother, and grandmother as refugees. The family settled in Middlebury, Vt., and Mr. Mladenovic started the fifth grade, picking up English as he went. Years later, after school and on weekends, his mother shuttled him to Middlebury College, where he worked first as a dishwasher and later as a cook.

Last fall Mr. Mladenovic applied to five colleges in the Northeast, hoping to study mass communications. Later, during an interview at Champlain College, in Burlington, Vt., an admissions officer told him that he qualified for a forthcoming scholarship that would cover most of his expenses there.

Champlain's president, David F. Finney, had noted the large refugee population in and around Burlington, one of about two dozen officially designated resettlement areas in the United States. So this past spring he created a scholarship program specifically for refugee students. Champlain officials say the grants are among the first of their kind.

The college's New American Student Scholarship will help make the campus more diverse, says Mr. Finney.

High-school guidance counselors convinced him that many refugee students can handle the rigors of college courses once they matriculate. "They tend to have an unbelievable appetite for academic work and real heartfelt appreciation for learning," he says, "which kind of raises the bar in any classroom."

Champlain modeled the scholarship on one it already offers to single parents. To qualify, applicants must be eligible for federal Pell Grants. The scholarship meets the cost of tuition beyond what other grants cover.

This year six students will receive the new scholarship, and Mr. Finney hopes to raise the number to 30 in a few years. "We sort of can't get enough of these students," he says. "We'd love to have more."

Mr. Mladenovic, who plans to start classes at Champlain this fall, is grateful for the help. "Without the scholarship," he says, "I don't think I would have been able to afford it."

His omelet-making days may not be over, however. For his work-study job, he may end up cooking in a campus dining hall once again.

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Volume 52, Issue 49, Page A33, Section: Students