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Program helps prepare students for higher education
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
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Tarika Holness of Youngstown participates in a computer class as part of Youngstown State University’s Summer Bridge program. The program for multicultural students includes a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math component.
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Mark Jones, a junior at Youngstown State University, participated in YSU’s Summer Bridge program as an incoming freshman. He is now helping students enrolled this year.
By Denise Dick
Youngstown
Mark Jones came to Youngstown State University two years ago from Cleveland, unfamiliar with the campus and the city.
Before beginning his college career, Jones, a junior who is majoring in social work, participated in the Summer Bridge program. It’s a one-week program offered by YSU to multicultural students, exposing them to the academic and social experiences they’ll encounter during their first year of college.
“It enhanced my college career,” Jones said.
The program gave him information about services available on campus, from tutoring to note- and test-taking skills. It also familiarized him with the campus.
The students stay in residence halls, where Jones is now a resident assistant, during the program.
The summer program extends into Bridge and Beyond, providing a learning community for the students, said Michael Beverly, coordinator of multicultural student services at YSU’s Center for Student Progress.
He meets weekly with students, often in groups, during the school year to ensure they’re on course with their studies and point them to the appropriate services if they encounter difficulty.
Though all incoming freshmen learn information about the services available, Bridge participants sign a contract and commit to following through, Beatrice said.
They also develop a relationship with Beverly and with the other students in the program.
When students are accepted into Summer Bridge, they’re sent a copy of “The Pact,” a book that relays the story of three young black men from economically disadvantaged areas who make a pact to succeed in their education and life.
“They make a pact that if one falls down, the others will pick him up,” Beatrice said.
Bridge participants are encouraged to help one another, too, she said.
This year, a STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — component was added to the traditional Bridge offerings.
The Raymond John Wean Foundation is funding the STEM component, said Jonelle Beatrice, director of the Center for Student Progress.
She said that Sherri Lovelace-Cameron, a YSU chemistry professor, helped design the STEM curriculum for the Summer Bridge program.
Bridget Whetzel of New Castle, Pa. and Quenten Erskine of Pittsburgh are among the 31 participants in this year’s Summer Bridge which runs through Friday.
Whetzel, who will major in pre-law, is in the traditional group, and Erskine, who will major in pre-med/biology, is in the STEM group.
“It’s a lot of work,” Whetzel said. “We have homework.”
Students work on the homework together, though, and are having fun too.
Erskine said he’s enjoyed some of the science sessions where he’s gotten exposure to some of what he’ll be studying.
Erskine believes he’s going to like college life.
“There’s a lot more diversity,” he said. “And you get to study what you want.”