SUNBURY, Pa. — Noah Fenstermacher describes himself as a lower-income, first-generation college student. It's something he is proud of.
"My mom is a custodian at Shikellamy High School, and my dad is a truck driver. They taught me the value of hard work," Fenstermacher said.
Fenstermacher grew up in Sunbury and graduated from Shikellamy High School in 2016. He knew from an early age he wanted to go to college, but many of his questions went unanswered.
"What do I wish I had four years ago? A comprehensive college prep course in book form."
So, Fenstermacher made one himself. The Penn State University grad student recently wrote a book called "College Admissions of Guilt: How the Underserved Student Can Still Succeed in Higher ed."
The book goes over all aspects of college life, from picking a school to paying for it.
"You can actually work with the prices to get in through admissions. There's financial aid and several ways you can actually afford university besides taking out a loan."
Fenstermacher plans to donate 10% of the book's proceeds to the creation of a new community college in the Susquehanna Valley.
Fenstermacher sits on the board of directors for the Susquehanna Valley Community Education project. Officials hope to open a new community college in the Sunbury area in 2023.
"Those funds go back into the community that actually provide benefits for those living in Sunbury," Fenstermacher said.
Fenstermacher's goal is to get a book into the hands of all 2022 Shikellamy High School graduates.
"It's an amazing blue-collar area. There are amazing workers here," Fenstermacher added. "I want to be able to give back to them what they have given to me for the past 23 years."
Fenstermacher's publisher plans to put the book out in August, but you can preorder it here.