At a time when colleges are increasing tuition and fees and families are struggling to find money, Colquitt doesn’t just want to teach students where the money is. He wants them to understand why college is not a luxury, but a necessity.
“By educating students on resources that are available to them, it can help them make their own way to college,” he said, “because college is the precursor to life’s success. It’s the perfect place for self-expression and really connecting with people who can take your dreams, your visions, your hopes, your plans, to another level.”
His book, “The Scholar’s Key” (xlibris), is available for $12.99 on Amazon. In addition to a few speaking engagements with the book, he’ll be spending the summer working at the General Motors plant in Brownstown Township and the Center for Educational Outreach at U-M.
He began applying for scholarships because friends encouraged him. His father, Duane Colquitt, didn’t complete college; his mother, Monica Wilks, has bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Colquitt was the first among his parents’ seven children — a mix of half and stepbrothers and sisters — to attend college. And two others have decided on a similar path. A half sister is attending college in Georgia to become a dentist or dental hygienist. And a stepbrother is attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn.