Access College Foundation held its annual Suffolk Donor Recognition Luncheon Tuesday afternoon at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.

The event exists to thank donors for their support, but as always, the students who spoke at the event stole the show.

Lakeland High School senior Ryan Wright was grateful for the one-on-one time his advisor, Shawn Foster, was able to provide him while he was trying to figure out his future.

Wright, who lost his father at the age of 9, was determined to make his father proud, and his advisor helped make Wright’s dream possible with fee waivers for the SAT, ACT and college applications.

The Lakeland senior plans to major in business with a focus in accounting. Wright has already been accepted into schools including Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University and Ferrum College.

Breshawn Mayo, senior at King’s Fork High School, partnered with his access Advisor, Adrienne Miller, to make a plan to make college accessible.

“My principal took me to Ms. Miller. I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Mayo said. “She guided me and helped me. She started speaking a new language to me about the SAT, ACT and my GPA.”

Mayo got his work ethic from his mother, who worked three jobs to support him and his sister. His father was incarcerated for a large part of his youth, but he didn’t let that affect him; he just looked to his mother for support.

Miller was able to help Mayo fill out a FASFA and scholarship forms to make college a reality for him.

“She held my hand through it all, and she was always there for me,” Mayo said. “She is the type of person that doesn’t quit. She’ll even call you on your cell phone, and she’s always helpful. Ms. Miller embodies every that Access is built on.”

Mayo has been accepted and plans to attend Chowan University as a history major with dreams of being a teacher.

Nansemond River High School senior Brandon Eley has overcome a difficult home life to find success in his academics.

Eley found himself switching high schools and having his parents separate at about the same time, but despite the challenge, he still maintains a 4.51 GPA and will be valedictorian on graduation day. His Access advisor, Foster, gave him the direction and tools to get the college process started.

“I am a first-generation college student, and I didn’t even know where to begin,” Eley said. “I asked for guidance, and Ms. Foster was able to provide fee waivers for SAT and AP tests. She helped me apply for scholarships.”

Eley has already been admitted into a slew of colleges, but he is still waiting for answers from Princeton and Harvard.

“Look at the statistics for how Access has helped and you will be amazed,” Suffolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Deran Whitney. “So many of our Access scholars are coming back to Suffolk. Donors are helping to build our schools and better our city.”

This year also marked 15 years of the Access College Foundation serving students in the Suffolk area, and Access has provided college information to 12,000 students and helped secure $43 million in financial aid used by seniors.

The organization provides early awareness information to middle-schoolers. For high-schoolers, it helps them keep on track, apply for financial aid, apply for application and test fee waivers if needed, provides campus tours, helps scholars apply for scholarships, provides its own set of scholarships and more.

The program also connects with scholars at 13 Virginia college campuses to help make sure they graduate and connects them to career opportunities.