Adelante Completion Celebration is Friday at PCC
May 4, 2012
Tucson, AZ – After losing his job when his company relocated outside the United States, David Kaiser realized he needed to further his education to provide for his family. Pima Community College and Adelante have helped fulfill his dream.
On Friday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at PCC’s West Campus, David will take part in a Completion Celebration for 109 students in Adelante, which is part of a nationwide study examining if performance-based scholarships provided in addition to federal needs-based funding can improve the academic achievement of college students.
Nationwide, students in this performance-based scholarship demonstration come from varied backgrounds at educational institutions across the U.S. They range from single parents in Ohio to adult learners in New York. At Pima, the focus is on Latino males, who enroll and graduate from higher-education institutions less often than other groups, research has shown.
David is a 46-year-old Tucson High School graduate who spent years working for a firm that made radar systems. In 2006 it relocated. “I had no idea what I was going to do,” he said, “but I knew that there had to be something more stable” than working in manufacturing.
David began attending PCC’s Center for Training and Development to get a Practical Nurse Career Training Certificate, which he earned in about a year. He continued at PCC, preparing to enter the Nursing program at West Campus.
In early 2011, he connected with Adelante. “It has been very strong support for me,” David said, noting that Adelante’s tutoring requirements helped keep him focused on schoolwork.
He also found value in Pláticas, student-driven discussion groups in which Adelante participants talk about obstacles they face in their lives. David realized that others were facing challenges similar to his. “It was cathartic,” he said, to know that “you are not the only one in the same situation.”
On Friday, David will tell his story of academic achievement: He is scheduled to graduate with an Associate of General Studies degree, and has a new educational goal: a bachelor’s degree in Human and Family Development from Arizona State University, where he is enrolled. His career goal is to be a college instructor in either Psychology or Biology.
Other students also will relate how Adelante helped make the goal of postsecondary education a reality. They include:
- Richard Sosa, a 29-year-old Tucsonan working toward a degree in Nursing who, after being employed at a local bank for more than 10 years, made a career change. “What I really like about [Adelante] is . . . that it makes us stay on campus for extended amounts of time. Keeping me on campus helped me keep my grades up,” Richard said.
- Octavio Bustillos, 21, who will transfer to the University of Arizona in the fall to study Business Management. Octavio, a graduate of St. Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, returned to PCC in Fall 2010 after a promising start as a professional soccer player in Germany was cut short by an injury. “Adelante definitely made me feel unique and welcome,” Octavio said. “They’re always open to helping me out, no matter if it was school or a personal life situation.”
- Luis Ernesto Garcia Ramos, 30, who is on track to graduate next year with an Associate of Science degree. After graduating from Tucson High School, he supported himself and his family with landscaping and roofing jobs. In January 2011, he enrolled at PCC. “That’s the reason I came to America, to pursue an education,” said Luis, who was born in Mexico. Adelante advisors helped ensure that his PCC classes will transfer to UA, where he intends to major in Physiology. “Adelante has a lot of resources,” he said. And, “it’s a moral support. . . . It gives you an extra kick to keep you going” at school.
Frank Velásquez Jr., the program coordinator of Adelante, says, “Adelante is helping students create connections. Through the relationships they’ve built with their Adelante advisors, the Adelante staff, and each other, they are creating a connection to the College that, we hope, will go beyond their time with Adelante.”
Like numerous existing academic-aid programs, Adelante rewards performance and is back-loaded. Students must complete classes, achieve C’s or better, and take part in orientation, academic advising, student success workshops, tutoring and Pláticas.
Part-time students can earn up to $700 a semester for up to three semesters; full-time students can earn $1,500 a semester for up to three semesters. Currently, just more than 1,000 PCC students are taking part in the study, ranging in age from 18 to the mid-50s.
Adelante is funded by private foundations; no taxpayer dollars from residents of Pima County or Arizona have been allotted. The study is being conducted by MDRC, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization whose findings are used by policymakers across the political spectrum.
“The real reward of Adelante is the way it transforms students,” Interim Chancellor Dr. Suzanne Miles said. “Their self-confidence grows because of their achievements in the classroom.”
- What: Adelante completion celebration
- When: Friday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Where: PCC West Campus cafeteria, 2202 W. Anklam Road
CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850
ckaramargin@pima.edu