Summer bridge program gets minorities prepped for college
Students gear up for college with
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Dajeauna Adams, a Liberty High School graduate, was nervous about starting college next month at Youngstown State University – until this week.
Adams, who will major in criminal justice, is one of 34 incoming minority YSU freshmen enrolled in Summer Bridge. It’s a weeklong program to prepare minority and multicultural students for some of the experiences they’ll encounter in college.
“I was nervous, but I’m not anymore,” Adams said, referring to the program.
YSU’s Summer Bridge stretches back to the 1980s.
“It’s been shown that minority students have the most difficulty navigating their way through college,” said Michael Beverly, the program coordinator.
They may be the first in their families to attend college, so no one at home can help. Financial issues may throw up hurdles, too.
“We’re trying to give them a head start,” Beverly said.
YSU’s graduation rate for minorities is about 18 percent. For those who participated in Summer Bridge, that number increases to 34 percent, according to information from the university’s Center for Student Progress.
Students arrived on campus Sunday night and stayed in campus housing through today. Today is the last day.
Sessions cover note taking, time management, conflict resolution and study skills. The week includes a campus tour, and students learn about campus resources available to help them.
When school starts, so does Beyond Bridge. It’s a program where Beverly and a graduate assistant meet with the students individually throughout the school year to continue the guidance.
Guy Burney, coordinator of the city’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, met the students Thursday, offering a presentation on resiliency – bouncing back when things don’t go as planned.
He urged them to let go of things that have been holding them back: relationships, habits and unforgiveness.
“There are things in our lives that we must let go of to move on and get better,” Burney said.
He also urged them to ask for help when they need it.
Becky Varian, director of the Center for Student Progress, said information about Summer Bridge is sent to incoming minority freshmen. They must fill out an application and center staff interview them.
Varian said the interview enables staff to determine if prospective attendees signed up because they wanted to or because it was urged by a parent.
“We rarely turn anybody away,” she said.
Brandon Crawford of Cleveland pointed to the program’s session on fixed mindset versus long-range mindset.
A fixed mindset can hold you back, he said.
It resonated with him because he struggled in high school and considered dropping out.
“I didn’t think I’d ever go to college,” he said.
Crawford shifted from a fixed to a growth mindset after hearing motivational speaker Eric Thomas.
“It was life-changing,” he said.
For Micah Watts of Pittsburgh, what he’s learning in Summer Bridge is allaying some of his concerns.
He’s still nervous about starting college, but it’s the good kind of nervous.
“It’s like in sports before a game,” Watts said. “You’re nervous, but you’re nervous because you want to do well.”