Even for students coming from a rigorous college-preparatory environment like SEED, going from high school to college is a big adjustment. SEED students start preparing for this transition junior year in high school, taking seminars and working with counselors to prepare for the heavier workloads and greater autonomy of college academics, and the adjustment to a new social environment. They continue to have this transition support through college with The SEED Foundation’s College Transition & Success program.
As they arrive on their college campuses, students must find campus supports and understand financial aid, and they may also have work and family obligations. It is a time of greater responsibility—and one of exciting growth as they explore new interests, learn about themselves, and plan for their futures.
Figuring out this new environment can be daunting for college students—especially if they have to do it alone. This is why SEED graduates have a SEED Foundation college success advisor in their corner throughout their college career. Advisors serve as mentors for students, helping them gain the confidence and skills to make the most of their college experiences. While the students are doing the work, they have someone who can provide expert guidance, give advice, and lend support.
At SEED, students start working with the College Transition & Success (CTS) team to prepare for college long before arriving on campus. College success advisors like Ashley Bargeron work with SEED graduates from the college selection process throughout their college careers. Ashley sees her role as a guide for students as they develop self-advocacy skills. She helps them identify the right people with whom to connect and uses her expertise to help the students and their families understand specific aspects of the college experience, such as financial aid questions.
College success advisors help students navigate all sorts of issues. Ashley says, “Stress is real—we help our grads connect with mental health resources, figure out how to balance jobs and academics, deal with family issues, and make the shift from high school to college. We help them figure out things like structuring their time or handling conflicts with roommates and deciphering financial aid information.”
Ashley’s goal is to empower students to advocate for themselves. “I see myself as a coach, not the doer,” Ashley says of her students. “I don’t do it for them—they’re more than capable of doing for themselves with coaching. And sometimes you don’t get it on the first pass; it just takes repetition.” A lot of Ashley’s conversations with students in their freshman year encourages students to make connections with professors and advisors and offers guidance on how to do so. Especially during the pandemic, when many students were engaging in most or all their classes online, this has taken a lot of effort; students have had to go out of their way to take this initiative.
It’s well worth it though. Research shows that having a mentor makes a big difference. College graduates with even just one or two meaningful relationships with faculty are twice as likely as grads with zero meaningful relationships to say their college experience was “very rewarding.” This is especially true for first-generation college students, who are less likely to form these bonds than other students.
Debbie Omoniyi’s (SEED MD ’20, Temple University ’24) college success advisor helped her to navigate the challenges of a cybersecurity course load and to stay disciplined during her first semester at Temple University that started entirely online. She said, “I go to office hours about three times a week. I also utilize their advising sessions and tutoring services.” Advocating for herself based on the advice of her advisor paid off for Debbie—earning her a spot on the Dean’s list her first year.
One of Ashley’s favorite parts about mentoring graduates is seeing the growth in the students with whom she’s been working with from freshman to junior year in college. She notices a change in how they reach out and sees them taking more initiative. “Their questions change from, ‘I don’t know where to start,’ to, ‘I’ve done the legwork, but I need some help crossing the finish line.’”
Mentorship comes full circle at SEED. College upperclassmen who are part of the SEED Network often connect with incoming SEED graduates at their colleges. “Many first-generation students can feel alone at a school,” notes Ashley, “but SEED grads connecting with each other is something that naturally happens—when we have a SEED grad already on campus, we connect them to incoming underclassmen. We were at Towson University recently, and it was great to see SEED DC and SEED MD students passing their phones around to stay in contact as they get to know people who have been there.”
Ashley stresses that while she’s there for them, her students are doing the work—and she’s always impressed at their growth and accomplishments. “The best thing is seeing our grads persist when they have a multitude of challenges—and just being able to play a small role is all super rewarding. Our grads are doing it!”