It's never too late to continue your education—and help is available!

Angie Kelley and Reina Creer with Adult College Services talk about assisting adult students through individualized success coaching, connection to resources, and scholarship opportunities.

Learn more by clicking here.

#highereducation #communitycollege #studentsupport #nontraditionalstudents

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Welcome to the Pioneer Voice. I'm Danielle Collar, and we have two very special guests with us today. We have Angie Kelly and Raina Career with Adult College Services. Thank you both for being with us today. Thank you for having us. Yeah. So what um tell us what is Adult College Services and maybe like what's the history behind adult college services?

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Okay, that's a great question. So Adult College Services is a free support program to help adults get in school and be successful.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

And so we who we call adults are what in higher ed is known as non-traditional. But since they would would know that they're non-traditional, right, then we call them who they are as adults. So it's anyone that's 25 years old or older, or if they got a GED, or if they're married or have been married, or if they um have dependent children. So any one of those qualifies them for our support program. Okay. And it started years ago. Um, Anne Fulmer was over the New Options program years ago, but even before that they had um the displaced homemakers support. So um, like women who got divorced and needed to get back in the workforce, that kind of thing. So some training to get them to the place where they could be employable again. And so, but it morphed into the New Options program when the Jeff State got a grant foot through the city of Birmingham. It's a community development grant. And so it's called New Options Program, but they worked just with people within this that lived within the city limits of Birmingham and met that to meet those grant requirements. So what happened when I came on board, I was talking with President Brown and he was talking about the enrollment cliff for traditional age students and how it was important for us to really work with adult students. So we expanded, I took the program that was there based on the grant, did some research, and we expanded the support to all four of our campuses, as well as any online students. And then we I looked at what was working, so research-based, and um we added this component of coaching, so a model for coaching and really working individually with students, wherever start wherever they are, if they're in school or not in school or just thought about school, you know, to help them understand there's so much that they don't know and don't know to ask. Right. Like they don't even know what they don't know. Exactly. So what we can do is assign them a success coach, and then that person starts wherever they are, gets to know who they are, we do an intake with them, and then we want to help them understand the processes and procedures. So they don't have to know how to do it, we know how to do it. Right. And we'll walk them through because a lot of times people, if they've never been to college, or maybe they tried it after they got out of high school and it wasn't the right time for them, or they went and got lost at a big university. And so there's fear associated with that, even sometimes some shame associated with not being successful. So we want to remove all of that, remove those barriers to help them feel supported and feel capable. Right.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so you keep talking about support and then services, but what what are those kind of support and services available to students?

SPEAKER_01 3:31

So when they sign up with our program, we assign them a success coach so that that person can get to know them and their individual needs. Do they have children at home? Are they taking care of parents? Are they working full-time? And then what are their goals? So wherever they are, we connect them to the services that we have on campus, like our food pantry, like access to um mental health counseling, the um at the student success center. And then also the learning success center with all of the support there with tutoring and just so that they will be set up for success. They don't have to know how to do it, but all of these supports can be put in place. And we'll tell them, look, go to the food pantry twice a month. It is there for you as a student, and then you can use that grocery money to buy your books. There you go, right. Right. So we have to figure out what's the best way to get everything taken care of so that they can focus on school.

unknown 4:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

And are there any kind of scholarships available through adult college services?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Yes, we do have scholarships. So we have a couple different kind of buckets that we pull from depending on their situation and where they live. We have the City of Birmingham grant called the Community Development Block Grant. And so people that live within the city limits have access to that money. And then we also have President Brown gave us some scholarships from Jeff State, some um tuition waivers. That's correct. So we have that money, and then we have a foundation account for Jeff State, and we um there is the K Renfro scholarship that we can scholarship every year for a full ride scholarship. So and then we did um Ann Fulmer, who is still um an advisor with us, she um helped do uh a fundraising event and and raise money for our scholarships as well. So we depending on the person, what they might be eligible for.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Okay. Um so what would you say is probably the biggest myth about uh adult students who are wanting to go back to college? They're not really certain if it's for them.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Well, I'll say this uh everybody's gonna need some type of training after high school to be able to make a living. And so for the people that have never tried college or didn't feel like it was for them, what I love so much about the community college system in Jeff State is we have so many different programs. So there's going to be something that they would be interested in, most likely. I mean, we have, you know, funeral services, nursing, welding. What you know, there's just such a wide variety. Right. And then the fast track training programs, and then our associate degrees, where you can get um a certificate on the way to your associate degrees, or if they have a career goal that requires a bachelor's degree, then we'll help them get started at Jeff State, learn how to be a really good student, and then they might be eligible for some transfer scholarships, you know, to move on and get that bachelor's degree or and or that master's degree, whatever they require to to reach their goals.

SPEAKER_03 6:37

That's great. So you have um a stu a student success coach, right? And then we also have advising. So you're there to help advise them all along the way. Um and so they can do fast track or they can go straight into um, you know, associate's degree. Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

And even those that start off with fast track, they if they finish a fast track program, they get a free credit class. So we try to bring them back over to the credit side to use that credit class because most of those fast track training programs are um entry-level, they're getting them into the field. So a lot of people want to pivot or um need some more training to to do what they want to do, but it's still not all the training that would benefit them. So we try to bring them back over to the credit side so that they can continue building their career, their education to support them because as we know, life changes very quickly and the workplace changes very quickly. Gone are the days where people, you know, got in one job and then retired there. That's very rare now. So people need to, you know, continuously be learning. I mean, the the computer class I took in 1988 does not still hold true. I mean, I have to if I didn't have any learning past that in college, I would be unemployable. So we all have to be lifelong learners and use what we call a growth mindset. That's one of the things we teach.

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Is because it it helps people just in their everyday life as well, which is to get over your own ego to admit what you don't know so that you'll be prepared to learn what you need to learn. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

So is there anything that you say would help motivate adult students to come back to college?

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Well, usually the motivation, and Reina, correct me if I'm wrong, but usually the motivation is they want to make more money. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

More money. I say two factors. I'd say the first thing is um them wanting to finish what they've started. Right. I think they have a deep sense, I think there's a deep sense of accomplishment that comes with proving to themselves that they can do it. And then also if they had to drop out or stop out or for any reason because of any type of life event, for them to come back and have the support they need to get the degree is always a great thing. Um, but like Angie said, yes, money, more money.

unknown 9:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Um, it's something about that confidence that comes with being able to provide for yourself and for your family. So I definitely agree with that as well. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Um, are there any success stories that y'all might share with us? Any students?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

I do have a success story. We just recently started asking our active participants to complete an exit essay. And so I do have something to share if that's okay. Oh, we'd love to. I'm gonna read it off of yeah, please. Okay, yeah, make sure you get it right. Yes. Okay, because it's really good. Our students share being a part of the Adult College Services program at Jefferson State truly helped me stay encouraged throughout my educational journey. As a non-traditional student, balancing full-time work, internships, and school responsibilities. There were many moments where I felt overwhelmed. Between working as a dispatcher, completing internship hours in early childhood education, teaching Sunday school, and facing personal hardships within my family, having support from my success coach made a huge difference. Adrienne Merritt always checked on me, encouraged me, and helped guide me through challenges when I felt stuck or discouraged. The scholarship assistant always also relieved financial stress and allowed me to stay focused on finishing my degree. What meant even more to me was how personal and caring the support felt. On my birthday, the Adult College Services office would even send a birthday card that everyone signed. That small act made me feel seen, supported, and reminded that I was not alone during this journey. Because of this program and support system, I am now graduating from Jefferson State Community College with an associates in applied science and childhood development with a 3.69 GPA. I was also very excited to make the president's list and become a part of the Vita Theta Kappa Honor Society. During my time at Jefferson State, the journey taught me perseverance, faith, and the importance of having people who genuinely support your goals. I hope my story encourages other adult students to keep going even when life becomes difficult. There were many more moments when I felt exhausted or uncertain, but through determination, prayer, and support, I made it to graduation. Oh, that's good.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

I mean that pits case online.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

That's good. And this that was a great example of how hard or just how committed we are to our students. It really embodies what we do. And this student um submitted that to her coach, Adrian Merritt. She's part-time. We have a staff of four, including Angie, and also our uh part-time coach, Dr. Rolanda Warren. So we asked them to submit that to be able to share that with you all. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_03 11:45

Oh, yeah. Thank you for sharing. That's that's great. So um, like that kind of said, I mean, for adult students, it's not just going to school and that's it. I mean, you have a family you've got to take care of, and there are so many different things that you're, you know, as an adult taking care of. Um, life. Life just be like this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

One of the things we know from research that adult students stop out more often than traditional age students. Right. And so one of the things that we're working on is to make that because we had uh some woman come to us, she'd been out of school for 10 years and now got back in school and has graduated. And so that sense of accomplishment, but 10 years, that's a long time. So what we want to do is the students in our program sometimes they have to stop out with an illness of their own or one of their children or a family member they're caring for, or work gets in the way, or or whatever. So if they stop out, we want to try and shorten that amount of time that they're out so they know how to immediately get back in. They know that the support is there waiting for them and we don't lose touch with them to help bring them back as soon as they can, you know, get everything settled so that they can be back in and really focus on school again. So trying to help them, you know, shorten those times between when they're not in school.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

Right, yeah. And so if someone's interested in coming back to college and uh they want to, you know, reach out to you, what's the best way to contact you, email, um, finding us online?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

What what would you say is the best way to get the quickest way to do it is go to the Jeff State website. Okay. And we are Jeffersonstate.edu forward slash ACS, which stands for adult college services. And on that they fill out an application, just some quick information to get them in our system, and then their coach is going to reach out to them with an email that has a link to um to set up an appointment. Okay. And that's really where we need to start is to get to know them, what their challenges are, what's going on in their life, what their goals are, so then we will know how to support them.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

That's great. Okay, so um if they need support, is it all in person? Is it online? Are there different options?

SPEAKER_00 13:57

So we do support our students. They can eat we like to meet them where they are. So they can either select teams by telephone, um, by I just lost my train of thought.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

So they can um come in person. We are uh our office is on the Jefferson campus, so that's not convenient for everyone. So of course we work online. Um and also work on the phone if they, you know, sometimes they need something quick, and we'll we'll meet them. We are we do proactive coaching, meaning the coach will reach out to them at least three times a semester. We're trying to meet with them just to check in. We don't want them to fall through the cracks or get discouraged and us not know about it. Right. So we reach out, we're proactive with that, but then the second they have any type of problem, we're like, contact us. Contact us when you make the first bad grade. Don't wait until you you need to drop the class. Like, let us help you get the support you need with is it test taking, is it study skills, what you know, what's going on that we can help encourage them and and help connect them to the resources because we have so many resources at Jeff State.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

Right, there are so many. Yeah, that's wonderful. So you talked a little bit about um who that student is that comes to adult college services, but could you give us examples of of that perfect student for adult college services?

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Sure. Mostly we have single moms. Okay. Still, we have a lot of moms that have children that they're taking care of, and so they need to make more money for themselves and to take care of their kids. And so these could be people in their 20s, 30s, 40s. We have people in their 50s and 60s even. Because if you think about it, pe somebody that's 45, they're gonna work for another 20 years. So it is worthwhile for them to go back to school to get some type of training or degree that's going to put them in a place to be successful for 20 years. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. So it just um every person is different, you know, and has a different story, and that's why we work individually with them. We want them to feel so we connect them with their success coach so they know they have a single point of contact at Jeff State to go to with any questions that they have. And so a lot of times we're just talking them down from being nervous or scared about it and explain we understand, we we know how to figure things out. If we don't know the answer, we know who to go to. Right. So they have an advocate in the system at Jeff State to help them. And so, yeah, we just want them to be able to relax enough to do the things that only they can do academically.

SPEAKER_03 16:45

Yeah, absolutely. So if they're uncertain, they're intimidated, just come and we've got you. Right. You're gonna show them the way. Right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

They don't again, they don't know how have to know how to do that because we know the process and we connect and after we meet with them and talk and explain things, the coaches will send them an email that has a explains everything with links of what they need to do. As soon as you finish this, check in with us, we'll talk about next steps. So we try not to overwhelm them, but to take things one at a time. Right. Yeah.

unknown 17:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

I do also want to add to that. I think that when they come, they do have they may have a sense of shame or just really worried about someone knowing their past and how their academic journey went. But I always tell students that just because you had a bad semester doesn't make you a bad student. Absolutely. And so when we're having those meetings, we're setting the tone, we're being warm, you know, and we're building those relationships and trusts. Right. Because it's never transactional, at least that's my tactic. I don't like to go that way. But um when we're meeting, I'm asking them how their family is going. So I'm I'm setting the tone, making them comfortable. We're talking about grades. I'm not saying, why didn't you go to class today? You know, it's more so, you know, what what happened? And, you know, tell me about your day and you know, all of those things. So it just really relationship building that sets the tone to make them feel comfortable, which results in them feeling confident in themselves and being successful in the classroom. Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:11

I think that's key. That key, that word right there, comfortable. That's key. I know everybody that's in your program, and you all make everybody feel so comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

So yeah, our coaches do a great job really connecting with the people and being very real.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

But we um so I'm a counselor, that's my background, is have my master's and doctorate in counseling. And so when I was training the coaches, it's it's important, and they all know this too innately, that they don't want to hear what you have to say until they know that you care about them. And so connecting with them and building that rapport and that relationship is integral to being able to get them connected and in school and being able to be successful. So we we do care about our students, and and our favorite day is graduation, and so joyful. And we, I mean, we had students that we have um I started with out in Pell City. Her very first day of school, I connected with her, and she just finished with her nursing degree, and she has two boys. And we got to meet her mom and her family. We go to the nurse pennings and stuff because it's so special. And it is just so wonderful to be a part that they allow us to be a part of their lives that way. Yes. And so we get to celebrate with them. And and listen, we love happy stories, so if they don't have a problem, we still want to hear from them. You know, we want to celebrate them as well, all the good things that are happening, not just I'm having problems. But we do want to teach them how to solve problems so that when they finish with us, they are really prepared both academically and in their mindset to go and be successful in a job to be a professional.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

That's great.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

They really become family.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Yeah, I can absolutely tell that. And you just mentioned graduation. We just had graduation, and yes, I mean you both were there, and that's what's so wonderful. You really are helping hold their hand from start to finish, and you want to see them finish. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

And I love that Angie always says or states in our office, she's like, How does it feel to be changing lives? Like we're doing this every day, and it's really meaningful work, and I really I love it here.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

I do too. It is, it's I mean, what we do does change lives. We have changed people's lives. And the beautiful thing is not just them, if they have children, it's the lives of their kids too. And we talk to them about that, like, don't hide the fact that you're in school and it's hard from your kids. They need to see that it's not an easy path, but it's a worthwhile path. And if their parents value education, it's more likely the kids will also go to school and value education in the same way. So we want it to be, you know, it's study time for everybody, the parents and the kids at the same time to show how important getting more education is and how valuable it will be. Yeah, be that shining example, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Is there anything that you might want to share about adult college services that we haven't covered?

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Well, I think that one a couple of the things that we're we've been doing is um we we work on recruiting and retention. And so we recruit from the people that are here in school with us. A lot of them need support and don't know about our support. So we're always trying to get the word out because anybody can send them to us. Obviously, the advisors do. Right. They send us people in um the Student Success Center, other the support services do connect them with our office, but all of the instructors, we want all of the faculty to know about our services so that if someone needs help, they can send them to us. And if they don't meet the qualifications, we still support them um and we may connect them to the Jeff Coach program. Okay, we work with Susan Douglas closely, and they do a great job of academic support.

SPEAKER_02 21:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

So um we we're not gonna let somebody know you don't meet our qualifications, so we're not gonna help you. Of course, we're gonna help them. Right, that's right and and connect them to the all the pieces that they need.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

Okay, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

So, yeah, and then we go out in the community as well because there are so many people out and about. When you think of um all the adults, and I don't have the stats in front of me, but um adult Alabamians that don't have any type of college degree um or training after high school, there's so many people that could, you know, be trained up for higher paying jobs. And so I'm out in the community doing that as well, connecting with other nonprofits, um, local community fairs, those type of things to get the word out. Yeah. I'm not trying to make anybody go to Jeff State, but if they could benefit from our program, we want them to know about it so that they can choose to, you know, make some positive decisions that would affect their life.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

That's great. Well, Angie and Raina, thank you both for joining us today. And um, so if you are on the fence, you're an adult student, and you're thinking about coming back to college, we want you here at Jefferson State. And Angie, Raina, Adrian, they will definitely take care of you. So thank you again for joining us, and thank you for watching. Thank you for having us.