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Connect2Complete, a program of Campus Compact supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, works with nine community colleges in Florida, Ohio and

Washington to utilize peer mentoring and community-engaged learning as strategies for retention of low-income, developmental education students.

 

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When  Joshua  was  enrolled  in  a  developmental  math  course,  he  had  the  support  of  a  Connect2Complete  Peer  Advocate.  Joshua’s  Peer  Advocate  was  able  to  help  him  better  understand  the  college  and  get  insight  on  different  professors,  and  she  helped  him  complete  a  service-­‐learning  project.  Joshua  focused  on  an  anti-­‐bullying  campaign  to  help  reduce  teen  suicides:  “I  realized  that  other  people  have  problems  and  they  need  your  help.”    

In  addition  to  helping  with  service-­‐learning  project  off  the  ground,  Joshua’s  Peer  Advocate  supported  his  transition  to  college:  “They’re  there  to  help  students  in  their  transition  to  college.  They  help  students  who  are  not  sure  who  to  go  to.  They  are  the  go-­‐to  people.  Some  people  are  intimidated  to  approach  staff,  so  it’s  helpful  we  have  a  student  available.”  Looking  to  the  future,  Joshua  has  plans  to  transfer  to  earn  his  bachelor’s  degree  too,  “I  might  as  well  keep  going,”  he  explains.    

 

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Like  many  students,  Joshua  Becker  didn’t  go  straight  from  high  school  to  college.  In  fact,  he  wasn’t  sure  if  he  wanted  to  go  on  to  college.  But  after  being  out  of  school  for  six  months,  Joshua  realized  he  wanted  to  be  the  first  in  his  family  to  graduate  from  college.  Now,  Joshua  is  in  his  fourth  semester  at  Cuyahoga  Community  College,  majoring  in  Information  Technology.  At  first,  Joshua  didn’t  feel  at  all  prepared  for  school:  “I  wasn’t  under  the  impression  that  classes  in  college  would  be  that  much  harder.  I  have  been  in  special  education  classes  all  my  life,  so  transitioning  to  mainstream  courses  was  a  big  change.”    

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Connect2Complete: A Conversation with Joshua

Connect2Complete Mentee – Cuyahoga Community College, OH