“It is like college orientation week, but better… You get to prepare for college, while hanging out with your friends!” – Luis Gonzales, Bridges Councilor
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| Crossing the Bridge: giving high school graduates the tools they need to succeed in college (Photos courtesy of Bridges to a Brighter Future) |
One major component of Crossing the Bridge is the Summer
program. Dean Bailey, a Bridges to a Brighter Future alumnus and Crossing the
Bridge counselor, described the program saying, “this week is intended to
prepare the students for college by teaching them skills they will need to know
and giving them a taste of what is to come.”
Dean Bailey, former Bridges student, is clearly impressed with
the new program: “I was a Bridges student and I remember being in their shoes,
the information they are getting in these seminars is so important! I
wish I could have had this opportunity before I started at Furman.”
Summer 2011 was the first summer for Crossing the Bridge. Over
all the overall the summer was a success, but Casey Crisp, assistant director,
would like to improve some things in the future
First, she would like to try and schedule more individual
advising time with the students. Through the course of the week, counselors
found that many students had important tasks like registering for classes and
housing that had yet to be done. By building in more individual advising time
they can make sure everything is ready for the student to have a smooth
transition in the fall.
Second, she would like to expand on the types of workshops
available to the students. Crisp explains, “we were able to have Dr. Thomas
give some writing seminars, which was excellent, but I would love to see
students who are interested in the sciences to get some time in a lab before
going to school.”
Lastly, Casey would like to find more financial support for the
program for scholarships and school supplies. “In a perfect world, we would be
able to send all students to school with a laptop and book stipend, ” adds
Crisp.
Although there are not a ton of programs like Crossing the
Bridge, there are a few out there that stand out as examples for Bridges to
learn from:
Looking for a college access program in your area? Check out the
National
College Access Program Directory!
Thanks for reading, check back for more posts soon!
Lindsey A.
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