Simona Vareikaite, SSH’12, a Torch Scholar, recounts her unusual path to college and how the program shaped her. Inspired to give back, Vareikaite is now mentoring troubled teenagers in the Bronx at the same nonprofit that helped her get to Northeastern.
Simona Vareikaite, SSH’12, a Torch Scholar and criminal justice major, recounts her unusual path to college and how the program shaped her. Inspired to give back, Vareikaite is now mentoring troubled teenagers in the Bronx at the same nonprofit that helped her get to Northeastern.
Now in its 10th year, the Torch program has produced 50 graduates from five classes who work in diverse fields: from politics and finance to science and journalism. All overcame extraordinary odds—including economic hardships and time in foster care—to make it to college. Along the way, they transformed from promising students into confident, well-rounded scholars.
