For young people with limited means, there can be plenty of barriers to educational success as they navigate through high school and beyond. For 18 years, the Mann Scholars Program has been instrumental in helping Madison-area students overcome those barriers as they assist and advocate for young learners and make a difference in the greater community.

Brittany McNeil knows all too well about that strong support and she is grateful for the help she has received from the Mann Scholars Program. Not just the financial support, but the emotional support.

“I’ve been through a lot with my family and it’s been quite a journey. The Mann Scholars really were a big help. In particular, Amy helped me a lot,” McNeil says of Amy Wallace, the Mann Scholars Coordinator. Wallace works with the students throughout high school and keeps tabs on them while they are in college and beyond. “It was help that I needed. Amy showed me how to plan and how to manage my time. She planted the seed that higher education was possible. She gave me ACT help. She helped me fill out financial aid and helped me look for possible colleges.”

Sisters Becky Gobermann (left) and Lori Mann Carey head up the Mann Fund
Sisters Becky Gobermann (left) and Lori Mann Carey head up the Mann Fund

The Mann Scholars Program was started by sisters Becky Gobermann and Lori Mann Carey, who head up the Mann Fund and are present for each Mann Scholars Celebration every spring on the UW-Madison campus. The Mann Scholars Program selected their first two Scholars in 1998 to honor their parents, the late Bernard and Kathlyn Mann, long-time Madison residents and strong advocates for high-quality and equitable educational opportunities for all students enrolled in the Madison Metropolitan School District. Family and close friends witnessed them guide, encourage and support their five children, all of whom successfully graduated from high school and went on to attain college degrees.
The late Bernard and Kathlyn Mann
The late Bernard and Kathlyn Mann

“Because of this program, I was able to have many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had and for that I am grateful,” McNeil tells Madison365. “Just getting me a laptop when I graduated was huge for me. I felt for students who did not have a laptop. It’s hard to succeed without the necessities.”

Every year, each Madison-area middle school nominates one eighth grade student for the Scholar selection process. Nominees must demonstrate an investment in their education, strong attendance, involvement in activities, a desire to go to college and financial need. All nominees and their families participate in an interview process where three to five students are selected to become Mann Scholars while attending one of the four MMSD high schools.

“Sennett Middle School nominated me to be a Mann Scholar but I really didn’t know much about it at the time,” McNeil remembers. “I remember writing the essays and I remember the interview process. I was a good student.”

Each Mann Scholar receives $1,000 per year each year during high school, mentoring support, and assistance in planning high school and post-secondary studies. During their high school years, the young people will receive whatever financial, mentoring, and academic support they need to succeed. The scholarship funds help pay for extracurricular and school expenses during high school, and the program also provides academic mentoring.

Brittany McNeil (second from right) honored at a Mann Scholars Ceremony at the Great Hall of the UW Memorial Union back in 2010.
Brittany McNeil (second from right) honored at a Mann Scholars Ceremony at the Great Hall of the UW Memorial Union back in 2010.

The Mann Scholar Program celebrates a 100 percent high school graduation rate with over 40 Scholars successfully graduating high school over the past 18 years. This program thrives on the full participation of each Scholar, their family, community volunteers and the support of staff at each high school.

McNeil graduated from Madison La Follette High School and chose the University of Minnesota-Mankato because it was far enough away from home without being too far away if she got homesick.

“I love the Minneapolis area. There’s a lot of money, a lot of work, and a lot of companies in the area,” she says. “It’s more diverse than Madison is. I’m really enjoying it. I want to have an impact there.”

Her last two years at the University of Minnesota-Mankato, McNeil worked in the multicultural office. “I told the students that came in that, number one, time is money. You need time management. You cannot afford to waste it,” she says. “I didn’t sugarcoat it. Everybody tells you to go to college, but they don’t tell you how much it costs. And it’s not just financial. Mentally it is hard.”

McNeil studied Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Mankato State University and graduated this past May with a degree in communication disorders, which is a program that explores ways to recognize, treat and prevent speech, hearing and language development problems. “My doctorate would be in Audiology but that is four years from now,” she smiles. “It’s something I really want to do. I’m hoping to get into the University of Minnesota but I am applying to UW-Madison, as well.

In the meantime, McNeil is a corporate receptionist at Starkey Hearing Technologies, a world leader in manufacturing and delivering advanced hearing solutions. “I say that it’s the number one hearing company in the world,” she smiles. “I really enjoy working there. It’s very interesting. The owner’s mission is to donate 1 million hearing aids by 2018 and when I first started in July, he was 80 percent there.”

Brittany McNeil graduated from University of Minnesota-Mankato this past May.
Brittany McNeil graduated from University of Minnesota-Mankato this past May.

She also has a second job as a hearing screener for newborn babies for the MEDNAX/Pediatrix Medical Group. “I work at Fairview Hospital and I do newborn hearing screenings,” she says. “I test the baby with the auditory simulation response machine and I connect three electrodes and two earmuffs and the computer basically picks up the simulation with the soft clicks that we send to the babies’ ears. It’s not loud – about 35 decibels.”

McNeil says she is glad that she chose this field because she loves helping people.

“I chose this field because I’ve always wanted to help people and that is my way of helping. Since I was 9 years old, I’ve been introduced to people in the deaf community. My cousin is deaf,” McNeil says. “I found out during my sophomore year in college when I took a class in Speech and Hearing Science that this was what I wanted to do. I really fell in love with it right then and there.

“Everybody is going to lose their hearing sooner or later, so workwise, I felt like down the line I would always have a job,” she adds, laughing.

McNeil did a mission trip through college about a year ago where she did hearing screenings on pre-school kids in Belize. “It was a culture shock for me. The first pre-school I walked into I cried because it was different. They had dirt floors and not many amenities,” she remembers. “It was a reality check. Being over there was quite an eye-opening experience for me.”

From Sennett to La Follette to Minnesota to Belize, Wallace has been keeping tabs on McNeil the whole way as she does for all of the other Mann Scholar students past and present. She knows firsthand the struggles they go through but also the great successes they have achieved.

“I don’t think we talk about how tough it is in college – especially if you are the first in your family to go to college and you don’t have support whether it be financially or emotionally – to stay with it for four years knowing that you are accumulating a lot of debt … which is nerve-wracking,” Wallace says. “I feel like more and more the gap between what’s available for aid and what the price tag is getting bigger.”

This is where Mann Scholars program can really help. Mann Scholars are picked every year based on their academic promise, their motivation, their financial need, and the willingness of their families to encourage participation in enrichment activities. They are primarily, but not exclusively, students of color. The perfect Mann Scholar candidate demonstrates an investment in their academics, consistent grades and attendance, and shared their talents with their community and with their involvement in extracurricular activities.

“Even though I’ve moved away, I still have a fondness for the Mann Scholars program and the Mann Scholars family,” McNeil says. “They really cared about me at a time when I really needed it. It was a great experience for me and I hope that once I get my doctorate and pay off all of my student loans that I can contribute to the Mann Scholars program financially because I truly believe that it is a great and necessary program.”