Project Start
Are you a motivated student who is excited for the future? Do you have great time-management skills and a desire to always do your best? If so, Project START may be a good fit for you!
Project START (Supported Training and Retraining) offers academic, financial, and personal assistance to help keep you on track and moving towards completing your degree, no matter what gets in your way.
Eligibility
To be part of Project START, you must:
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Meet Federal guidelines for Pell Grant
- Not have a Bachelors degree
- Be a U.S. citizen or national
- Be enrolled in a vocational program
- Be up-to-date on your student loan payments, if you have a loan
- Have and maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher each semester to start and continue in the program
- Turn in bi-weekly attendance sheets and/or web-based attendance confirmation
If you meet these requirements, download and fill out an application and send it to project.start@kirkwood.edu, or come to the START office in 2026 Iowa Hall on main campus in Cedar Rapids.
You can also reach us at 319-398-1247 if you have any questions.
After submitting your application, you'll be contacted by a START counselor. They'll talk with you about how Project START could benefit you and give a summary of your discussion to the selection committee.
If you are accepted, you will begin the program the next semester.
Meet our team by clicking on the next tab to learn more.
Amber is a Cedar Rapids native and proud graduate of Jefferson High School.
After high school, she attended Kirkwood before transferring to Iowa State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a special interest in statistics.
Amber has spent over a decade working in both social work and education, supporting students of all ages. Through her experience, she discovered her passion lies in helping students navigate the transition between high school and the early years of college or career. Whether it’s filling out applications, applying for scholarships, or simply walking beside students as they take their first steps into adulthood, Amber finds that these moments are some of the most rewarding.
When she’s not working with students, Amber enjoys spending time outside (when the Iowa weather cooperates), especially with a good book and a cup of coffee. She also loves gardening, photography, traveling, and relaxing with her cats. She volunteers in the garden at Iowa Farm Sanctuary and spends many weekends cheering on her nephew at Coe College track meets.