Ready for the Future

Shanna Brown is a Tarrant County College employee, but you won’t find her on a college campus very often. That’s because she spends most of her time at high schools in the Arlington and Kennedale school districts as a coordinator for TCC’s College Access program. Her job is to work with graduating seniors to provide information about TCC and guide them through the application and enrollment process. In doing so, Brown helps students at nearly a dozen schools through one of life’s big transitions—from college as a future idea to college as reality.

“With our program, we provide access to many low-income students, ethnic and racial minorities, first-generation college students and, frankly, individuals who view TCC as their only chance to pursue their dreams,” explained Brown.

With the support of Tarrant County school districts, College Access activities take place during class time—ensuring the most possible students become aware of what TCC has to offer.

“We are very fortunate that most of the high schools allow us so much time to assist these students with the process of coming to college,” said Noemi Vela, College Access director.

“If this program were offered after hours, the numbers would be significantly lower.”

College Access begins with TCC 101, an introduction given to all seniors through their English or government classes. Brown and the four other coordinators share information about a variety of TCC topics, including programs and degrees, student activities, tuition costs and how to pay for college. Of the approximately 20,000 seniors in Tarrant County school districts annually, up to 10,000 of them fill out an interest card following TCC 101. Those students become that year’s College Access Program cohort.

Almost all participating students complete the program’s next step of filling out the TCC admission application. Over the months to come, the seniors will take the college-readiness assessment test, set up their TCC web accounts, meet with a college advisor, get assistance with financial aid and complete all enrollment steps. In between high school visits, College Access coordinators are in constant contact with their students, reaching out by phone and email about scholarship opportunities, information about career training options and more.

In addition to activities at high school locations, the program brings participants to TCC campuses for Senior Preview Day. This simultaneous, Districtwide event immerses high school students in the TCC experience. Participants meet faculty, tour facilities and find out about available resources. The inaugural Senior Preview Day in 2015 drew more than 1,500 students from 12 Tarrant County school districts; College Access expects an even higher turnout in 2016.

Toward the end of the school year, College Access program coordinators invite parents of participating seniors to their local TCC campus. The Parent Café events allow parents to  earn what their students have accomplished through College Access and get their own college questions answered. “College Access made college a much easier transition for me,” said Jordan Barnes, a Northwest Campus student who graduated from Fossil Ridge High School in Keller Independent School District.

“[College Access] gave me insight into what it means to be a college student and allowed me to understand how it all works. I was more relaxed and ready for the future.”

Jordan Barnes

The benefits aren’t limited to college preparation; they extend to students’ time at TCC. The rate of first-year TCC students continuing from the fall to the spring semester is higher for College Access participants—approximately 81 percent, compared to about 73 percent for the general student body.

School districts say the value of the program comes from not only the enrollment steps students complete but also the connection that is cultivated throughout the senior year.

“Our students gain a one-on-one, trusted relationship with TCC. They will not get that type of attention anyplace else,” noted Ardran Robinson, a counselor at Arlington Independent School District’s Sam Houston High School, where more than 40 percent of students attend TCC after graduation.

Robinson recalled one student who applied to four universities and went through College Access as a backup plan. While she was accepted to all of the four-year institutions and obtained financial aid, the student ultimately decided TCC was the best fit for her. With TCC’s affordable costs, the outside scholarships she received even covered full tuition costs and books.

“Her backup plan became her plan,” said Robinson, herself a community college graduate.

In addition to improving pathways to higher education on an individual basis, College Access builds a college-going culture on a broader level—a key component of the community’s vitality and future success. As emphasized by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in this year’s State of the City address, “Education is economic development.” She went on to say that Fort Worth is “seriously lagging in college graduates.”

Designed to help more traditional-age students enter the higher education pipeline, College Access helps address the deficit noted by Mayor Price—but the program is just one
of many ways TCC contributes to the college-going culture. The College has a variety of educational partnerships and programs that build an expectation of higher education among
young people. The Mobile Go Center (pictured left) visits schools across the area to begin introducing students to TCC even before their senior year. The College also holds special
preparatory events; in spring, for example, TCC’s Center for Excellence in Aviation, Transportation and Logistics (CEATL) at Alliance Airport hosted hundreds of Fort Worth high school students for hands-on learning and demonstrations.

Of course, pre-college programs are only one aspect of facilitating an increase in college graduates. What happens on campus obviously also plays a major role. Rasha Altaie says the
support she received during her senior year at Arlington’s Sam Houston High School through College Access has been matched by what she has felt as a student at Southeast Campus.

“The faculty and staff care about each student and really try to make us the best we can be,” she said. “The College became my home.”

College Access team members constantly look for ways to improve processes to ensure every student has that kind of experience. It’s clear their efforts are paying off.

“I’ve had many students thank me for coming to their school because they don’t have a ride to campus or any idea where to start,” said Brown, one of the College Access coordinators. “It’s awesome to see their eyes light up when I meet them at the end of the year and tell them, ‘Congrats—you’re a college student!’”