Success First at Truckee Meadows Community College

The Success First Program at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a first-year college experience program designed to help first-time, full-time, first generation college students achieve academic and personal success. Success First utilizes a Summer Bridge program as a main strategy to give students a jump start to college by providing them the opportunity to take core college courses the summer before their freshman year. The Summer Bridge program helps students gain information about science, technology, math and engineering (STEM), growing career fields and academic/motivational support during their first year at TMCC.

Success First was created in 2010 to address low persistence, retention, and graduation rates of at-risk students in Nevada. Since its inception in 2010, the Success First Program has aimed to meet students’ academic needs, specifically helping students be college ready. Since 2011, the Success First Program has partnered with the Nevada National Institute of Health INBRE Outreach Grant to help underrepresented students gain information about STEM fields. Presentations about STEM pathways and careers are given to the students through embedded workshops throughout Summer Bridge. Over the years, the Summer Bridge program has adapted to provide more students with math preparation course work regardless of test/placement scores. This latest addition to the program is known as Math Wizards. Utilizing a learning community model, the Summer Bridge program now provides a math course in conjunction with a college success course to help students either complete or advance in their college math credits, as well as learn critical skills that will help them during their first year.

Success Coaches are one of the most beneficial tools offered by the Success First Program. Fostering a relationship with our students will contribute to their pathway to success. Success Coaches are a support system that help students navigate the college system, ask important questions that will allow students to set specific and manageable goals, advocate for students when appropriate, aid with major and career exploration, become a firm believer and supporter of students’ goals and aspirations, and a resource of information. Success Coaches play a major role in student retention and completion, thus becoming an important part of students’ lives.

For more information on Success First contact: Jennifer Zarco, M.A., [email protected]