Before the Tennessee Promise was implemented this year, tnAchieves provided last-dollar scholarships for community or technical college students from across the Volunteer State, focused mostly on first-generation and low-income students.

Now tnAchieves has partnered with Tennessee Promise to provide mentorship and volunteerism from business and community-based organizations to guide students through the college access and success processes.

Participating in this programming is a requirement of the scholarship, thus a massive undertaking for tnAchieves. The work is not new for tnAchieves — in fact the organization reports that students who are mentored are more than 20 percent more likely to enter college — but the statewide scope is unprecedented.

Kudos to tnAchieves for transforming its focus in a changing landscape. Other programs — such as Educate & Grow in Kingsport — went away with the implement of the Tennessee Promise while tnAchieves developed an important narrowed focus.