Many low-income high school students don’t go to college, and this doesn’t sit right with Marquette graduate student Aileen Aragones.

That’s why she helps these students get admitted into colleges through her work at Admission Possible Greater Milwaukee, a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to help low-income juniors and seniors gain admission to college.

Aragones said her students’ eyes light up when they realize what they thought was impossible is attainable.

“Our mission is really just to open the door and show them their options,” she said.

Aragones, a first-year master’s student studying educational policy and foundations, received the “Idealistic Leader of the Year” award from Admission Possible for her enthusiasm and dedication to the program.

The Idealistic Leader of the Year award is given to someone in the organization who reflects the seven traits of an idealistic leader, Yaritz said. Recipients of the award must “strive to be delightful, energize those in (their) presence, keep (their) eyes on the prize, challenge cynicism, moccasin the lives of others, learn to be grateful and have fun,” she said.

She worked with the group as a member of Americorps VISTA, a government service program to fight poverty in the United States. VISTA members serve full time with a nonprofit or local government organization.

Aragones was able to put herself in students’ shoes to see what they needed to succeed, said Hannah Yaritz, Communications VISTA member for Admission Possible.

“They wouldn’t have had this opportunity without Aileen and (her) passion,” Yaritz said.

In her role as event coordinator, Aragones’ responsibilities included connecting Admission Possible to other community organizations, planning service projects, building a rapport with school officials and planning practice ACT tests and college visits.

She also “coached” 15 young women after school at St. Joan Antida High School, 1341 N. Cass St. Coaches help students prepare for the ACT and SAT, get them through the college application process, explain the differences between different types of institutions and explain how the college administrations work.

Some of these students have already been admitted to colleges, while most college decisions are usually sent out after December, Aragones said.

Since the start of Admission Possible 10 years ago, 98 percent of students who have participated in the program have been admitted to college and 80 percent of them are currently working on their degree or have graduated, according to the organization’s Web site.

Most Americorps VISTA members only hold one position, but Aragones was an exception. Even though she was already an event coordinator, she jumped at the chance to be a coach after more students joined the program halfway through the academic year, said Kate Lundeen, executive director for Admission Possible.

As a coach, Aragones mentored students and prepared them for the ACT. She was able to teach a year’s curriculum in just six months.

Aragones worked with Admission Possible in the Twin Cities for a year before helping bring the program to Milwaukee in 2008. Out of 45 of the Americorps VISTA members at Admission Possible in Minnesota, Aragones was the only one to volunteer to relocate.

Though bringing the program to a new city wasn’t a smooth process, Aragones saw the benefits in expanding the program, Lundeen said. Thanks to her leadership skills, Aragones kept all of the Americorps VISTA members working together without losing sight of the goal, she said.