SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Change can be hard. Especially for students that are embarking on their own for the first time. That is what a lot of first-time high school graduates face when transitioning to college life.
Fortunately for them, there are resources that can help. At Sierra College in Rocklin, besides the “Free Tuition Program” offered to all community colleges across the state, they are helping high school students with their transition to college with something called the “Promise Program”. It's designed to give high school students a headstart in college.
Counseling Coordinator Bethany Okusako said the way the program works is by training high school counselors about the Sierra College curriculum and resources for students. She said the “Promise Program” goes beyond what a normal high school counselor would normally do. It helps the student come up with a specific plan for their career choice.
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She added students can even register for those college classes at Sierra even before they graduate high school.
“It’s a really good opportunity for students to get the services they would get on campus here, but in their high school. So, we partnered with lots of district in the area and we have trained our high school counselors as college counselors. So, they know how to support the student through the whole process,” explained Okusako.
McKenna Carroll, 19, said during her transition to college she worries about books, housing and even getting to college. She admitted that not having both the tuition-free resource and the Promise Program available to her, she would have probably dropped out.
“Having that Promise Program and having the support system that I have here has definitely changed the way that I have looked at it and has made a difference,” said Carroll.
Carroll plans to transfer to San Diego State after finishing her fall semester.
Since the Promise Program started two years ago at Sierra College, administrators say they have seen an increase of 800 students. They hope to beat that number with the extension of the tuition-free program this year.
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