Every nonprofit has a story that deserves to be told. Here's our Why!
As the founder and an advocate for Scholar Career Coaching, Lynne W. Gassant was set on a path to help students and young leaders achieve their academic and career success. She, too, had lived the experiences of being a non-native speaker and later, a first-generation college student. And Lynne tenderly remembers the challenges to learn the American educational system on her own.
At age 14, Lynne arrived to the United States as the oldest child of Haitian immigrant parents. After her family settled in public housing in Delray Beach, she had to learn the American education system, while also learning English and a new country. Those teenage years were filled with angst and discovery of so many new expectations, coupled with a strict upbringing. But she soon found her niche and a supportive educator/mentor, who helped her learn how to excel during her high school years. It was the culmination of those experiences that planted the first building blocks for Scholar Career Coaching.
As an inquisitive teenager, Lynne navigated the rigors of this new educational system in Palm Beach County schools and she often struggled with English-language learning because Haitian Creole was her first language. It is these early experiences with American schools that helped her understand the many roadblocks for non-native speakers. It was like a “light went off” and she could clearly see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel… with the right support.
Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote a book in 1996, “It takes a Village to Raise a Child,” that is based on an African Proverb. The proverb conveys the sentiment that we—our society and communities—have a responsibility to provide guidance, instruction, and vision to our youth.
Therefore, while still in her early 20s and completing her undergraduate studies, Lynne founded Scholar Career Coaching (Scholar CC) in December of 2012 so that other students, much like her, could excel in their academics too—with the right support, success strategies, and mentorship. So, this all began from scratch, with a passion, vision, and dream. In 2013, Scholar CC mentoring program targeted and mentored both undergraduate and high school students through their program built-in virtual platform. In 2014, the program transitioned to After-School mentoring with a high focus on English as a Second Language college-bound students.
Gassant holds a bachelor’s degree in public management from FAU and a master’s degree in human resources management from FIU. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and a former advisory board member for the City of Boynton Beach Education & Youth. As Scholar CC’s founder, and executive director, she still manages to live a full, well-rounded life as an HR professional/consultant, a wife, mother of two, and a big sister. Two fun facts about Lynne, she enjoys Korean TV Drama, and in 2017 she competed in the Mrs. Florida United States Pageant as Mrs. Palm Beach County. She was 4th Runner Up!