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Helping students succeed at Saint Mary’s College

The Catholic Voice spoke with Saint Mary’s Tracy Pascua Dea about the College’s Student Success Office. The newspaper of the Oakland Diocese interviewed Pascua Dea, SMC’s assistant vice provost for Student Success, for its annual edition focusing on higher education options for college bound Catholic students. The Voice story “Helping students succeed at Saint Mary’s College” highlighted various student support services offered through the SSO, including its new coaching initiative for first-year students and the successful and long running High Potential program, which serves first-generation-to-college students.

A Model for Success

The aim of the Student Success Office is to provide students with access to the resources and mentoring they need to build academic, personal, and professional success in college and beyond.

Program Helps Students Navigate the Unfamiliar Terrain of College

The Chronicle of Higher Education spotlights Saint Mary’s High Potential Program in its ongoing series on diversity in higher-ed. The HP program is part of the report “The Challenge of the First-Generation Student.” Alumna Gabriella Perez ’14 (shown in photo to the left) and Gloria Sosa, co-director of HP and KSOE assistant professor, spoke with the Chronicle about the life changing impact of the program and its high retention rates for first generation students.

Partnerships Help Students Toward Goal of Graduation

The Voice article features an interview with a graduate of KIPP San Jose Collegiate High School and now first year Saint Mary’s student Jesse Aguirre ’18, who talks about his experience at SMC and participating in the High Potential Program.

Programs Target Crucial Summer Before College

EdSource today, and education news outlet that examines best practices in California’s K12 and higher education institutions, prominently includes Saint Mary’s in its story about reducing summer melt among first generation freshmen students. EdSource features a photo of High Potential Program Students Lilie hau and Shae-Li Villarreal and notes the success Saint Mary’s has experienced in preparing students who are the first in their families to go to college for success in higher education.

40th Celebration of the High Potential Program

On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Saint Mary’s College celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the High Potential Program. Over 200 guests attended, which included prospective and current students, alumni, current and former faculty and staff, Christian Brothers and friends of the High Potential Program.