A ‘Promise’ to Help Students Succeed

August 20, 2019 - 03:39 PM

Backpacks swarmed the Mt. SAC campus today, but classes don’t start for six days. It was all due to 930 incoming freshmen participating in the school’s first ever Promise+Plus program.

The program offers the students a high quality backpack, a loaner computer (or iPad) and an internet hotspot to help them transition to the demands of college. In addition to tech loans and a backpack, Promise+Plus pays the student’s mandatory fees, offers year round priority registration, a book voucher, food card, and the backpack comes filled with school supplies.

 

“We always think about what else we can do to help students achieve their goals,” said Tannia Robles, Director of High School Outreach.

The Promise+Plus program is designed for first-time college students. In order to qualify, they must take part in one of Mt. SAC’s college preparatory programs, Summer Bridge or Summer STEP, and complete an application. 

“I think it’s extremely beneficial to all the new students,” said Alexis Gardiner, who speaks from firsthand experience as she gets ready to begin classes next week.  “It just helps make student life much less stressful.”

 Throughout the year, student success workshops will also be available to keep students on course.

“The counseling class I took helped me organize what I want for my future and what career I want to pursue,” said Gardiner. “They helped to organize my classes to make sure I graduate on time.”  

Mt. SAC accepted the state funding for the program and took on the challenge to equip the nearly 1,000 incoming students today.  Departments and personnel from all over campus made the program and today‘s distribution a smooth process.

 “I think having a resource like this: to always be checking up on my grades, helping me with essays and having the (internet) hotspot, will help me wherever I am,” said incoming student, Malak Radwan. “When I found out all the stuff you get, I told all my friends. Why not sign up?”