Delta community college aims to reduce poverty through education - KNOE 8 News; KNOE-TV; KNOE.com |

By Victoria Shirley

LAKE PROVIDENCE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - Delta Community College is aiming to reduce poverty in the delta region through education. Recent economic reports show that Louisiana's delta region is one of the poorest areas in the country.

When it comes to education, Lake Providence native Sandra Thompson knows the culture of her town all too well. With only 42% of East Carroll residents with high school diplomas, Sandra says something is wrong.

"A majority of them don't have the push, they don't have anyone behind them to push them." said Thompson. After being a nurse for four years, Sandra is getting a computer degree at Delta's Lake Providence campus. She credits her husband, kids and grand kids for pushing her to value school. "That's my motivation is to better myself so my kids can better their selves. " said Thompson and like her, other students are using education to rise above the rampant poverty in the town.

"I want to be different from other people, I want to further my education don't just want to sit at home and not do anything." said Charolette Hopkins. It's a concept Delta Community College wants to catch on in impoverished parishes like East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas.

The college is launching a program called "The Delta Compact" designed to pull people out of poverty and into the middle class through education. "We can fix this problem in the delta even before the next generation." said Delta Interim Chancellor Jerry Ryan, he is calling it a "war on poverty" targeting high school students in the three districts.

The goal is to increase high school graduation and ged rates, and getting more kids enrolled in college. "We're taking the risk, we think it is our job as a community college to not only take care of the literacy and economic development issues but end poverty as we know it in the delta." said Ryan.

The extra push by delta is exactly what student Charolette Hopkins says the town needs and as a delta student, she is excited to be part of the movement. "If you want to do better in life you have to achieve what it takes to get to where you want to be, don't just stop."

The Delta Compact is slated to initially be a three year project, but that journey could go on much longer than that.

Delta community college will hold a summit on November 8th at the Tallulah Country Club. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the project is invited to attend.