College MAP camp marks 10th anniversary

East Carolina University and its College of Business (COB) recently hosted 23 high school students from across North Carolina for EY (Ernst & Young)’s College Mentoring for Access and Persistence (MAP) program summer camp. It marked the 10th anniversary since the first camp at ECU.

The College MAP Summer Camp program is a joint initiative of EY and the COB with a goal to provide support to underserved students as they consider and work toward their dreams of higher education. Students learn to navigate the college application and financial aid process, tap into resources, and see the benefits of higher education. 

To be eligible for this program, a student must be a rising 11th or 12th grader in the 2025-2026 school year, demonstrate a commitment to graduate from high school and attend college, and commit to participating in all the program’s sessions and activities. The camp is EY’s signature volunteer program in education. 

During the camp July 21-25, the students met with EY and ECU volunteers. They gained knowledge in areas such as advising, career services, career and major exploration, disability support services, admissions and recruiting, financial aid, the Honors College, and networking. They also participated in a group service project with the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

In 2015, Desmond Blackett attended the first MAP camp at ECU. He’s been at every one since.

Blackett, known as “coach” to camp participants, is a career and technical education, (CTE) business, finance and technology teacher at Olympic High School in Charlotte. He initially got involved in the College MAP program 13 years ago while working with EY.

“Olympic High School is unique in that it has five career academies,” he said. “In our academy of finance, we have EY representatives that sit on our advisory board to help connect real-world scenarios with our kids and find opportunities for them. When they introduced the College MAP program to us, this opportunity arose and has spread like wildfire.”

Destyni Nicholson, a rising senior at Olympic, was a first-time camp participant.

“This week I learned a lot about FAFSA and scholarships,” she said. “I asked a lot of questions about the application process. The activities we’ve done have been a lot of fun; it’s been a good week.”

Nicholson is considering studying biology or communication and said that ECU made a positive impression.

“I was thinking about going to college, but now ECU is definitely on the list of schools that I would apply to,” she said.

Michael Everett, a resource manager for EY Parthenon’s Charlotte office, was a returning volunteer after his first camp in 2022. Everett was drawn to the College MAP program after participating in a similar mentorship program when he was a student at the University of Virginia. While the MAP program also includes leadership panels and working sessions each month, Everett believes the week that students spend on campus is the most impactful.

“This week allows students to be able to imagine themselves in a university setting,” he said. “They go to the dining hall, live in a dorm, and speak to current University students and professors about campus life. This inspires our students to kick start their college application process and do everything they can to get into their dream schools.”

Karen Kus, executive director of the COB Center for Student Success, led this year’s camp. She was assisted by faculty and staff members from COB and across ECU: Mary Beth Allen, Mike Baker, Jana Barefoot, Jody Baumgartner, Vanessa Bright, Grace Chen, Cal Christian, Tarrick Cox, Kellie Dill, Alex Dennis, Casey Dowling, Amy Eason, Summer Martinez Edwards, Chris Fortunato, T.D. Gribble, Lauren Howard, Crystal Howard, Chayton Jordan, Elizabeth McAllister Richard O’Dor, Abby Paul, Kasey Perkins, Jeff Popke, Jordan Skipper, Jordan Stancil, Erin Taylor, Bettie Westbrook and Kevin Williams.

Over the years nearly 150 students from North Carolina, Virginia and Florida have participated in the program on ECU’s campus.

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