16 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JULY 2018 Frontdoors editor Karen Werner is a writer, editor and media consultant. She has interned at The New Yorker, worked at Parents Magazine, edited five books and founded several local magazines. Her work has appeared in Sunset, Mental Floss and the Saturday Evening Post. be. Really, everything trends off of the level of education a person has,” Nickel said. For all of the talk of economics and data, College Success Arizona changes the lives of students on a personal level. Marquis Quarles is an example. “Marquis is one of the first students I really got to know and his story still hangs with me,” Nickel said. Homeless on occasion, Quarles watched his mom go through physical and mental abuse at the hands of her relationships. Many nights when Quarles was at home, he slept on the floor because drive-by shootings tend to hit high. “We were on Section 8, we were on food stamps, and we were on everything you can think of,” Quarles said. “When I was a kid it was really hard to have that positive mindset ‘that I can do anything.’ I didn’t see that around me.” After graduating from McClintock High School in Tempe, he became a College Success Arizona scholar and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Arizona State University. His success adviser, Myrna Cardenas, helped guide him through college. “She was always honest with me, and I would approach her with anything, and I felt safe doing that,” he said. “Myrna was like my cheerleader; she’s the one that kept me going.” Today, Quarles is 25 and works as a credit analyst for the Santa Barbara-based Deckers Brands, an apparel company that owns UGG and other popular shoe brands. He plans on pursuing his chartered financial analyst credential within the next three years, so he can pursue other opportunities in finance. Stories like Quarles’s are not unique. In fact, Nickel says one of the great perks of his job is seeing the transformation that occurs between the time students come in as 17 year olds to interview and when they emerge as young adults a few years later. “We have a personal relationship with them in many ways,” Nickel said. “Our success advisers go to weddings and funerals and get invited to birthdays and see them start their families.” College Success Arizona scholars have gone on to become pharmacists, nutritionists, nurses, veterinarians and researchers. One launched a successful digital content and web company in town, while another runs fitness activities at ASU. “We have Native American students who are becoming doctors going back to their reservations to help,” Nickel said. “Immigrant children, students who’ve been part of relocation – we don’t think that education should depend at all on ZIP code, race or ethnicity.” Nor should success. That is why College Success Arizona is betting that the pool of educated young talent it supports will improve our state’s future. An ASU grad, Marquis Quarles now enjoys a successful career in finance. COVER STORY CONTINUED

JULY 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 17 NESS RESOURCE The Eide Bailly A W A R D 2 0 1 8 HONORING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR CREATIVE REVENUE GENERATION eidebailly.com/resourcefullness LEARN MORE AT The Eide Bailly Resourcefullness Award recognizes nonprofit organizations that are challenging themselves to find new, exciting ways to generate sustainable streams of revenue. We’re looking for creative, impactful initiatives that are making a difference in their communities, and honoring them with cash prizes. MARK YOUR CALENDARS Submissions Due - July 13 Winners Announced - September 20