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Connect2Complete, a program of Campus Compact supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, works with nine community colleges in Florida, Ohio and

Washington to utilize peer mentoring and community-engaged learning as strategies for retention of low-income, developmental education students.

 

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To  help  new  TCC  students  in  their  transition  to  college,  Breanna  joined  Connect2Complete  as  a  Peer  Advocate:  “I  wanted  to  help  students  navigate  the  system.  My  first  semester  I  was  confused  and  I  didn’t  know  my  way  around  campus.  Now,  students  ask  me  how  to  get  around  campus.”  By  supporting  students  with  personal  and  academic  issues  and  connecting  them  to  campus  resources,  Breanna  sees  the  difference  Connect2Complete  is  making:  “I  worked  with  a  student  who  was  not  confident  in  herself,  and  now  she  is  more  encouraged  and  motivated  in  school.”  C2C  motivates  Breanna,  too:  “I  know  I  have  to  represent  myself  in  a  better  manner,  to  be  more  professional  and  responsible,  and  to  do  well  in  school.”  Connect2Complete  is  even  influencing  Breanna’s  plans  for  the  future:  “I  like  what  I’m  doing  as  a  Peer  Advocate,  so  I  might  want  to  be  a  teacher  or  a  mental  health  counselor.”  “Slowly  but  surely,”  Breanna  explains,  “we  are  making  a  difference.”  

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Breanna  McCoy  is  a  Dean’s  List  student  at  Tallahassee  Community  College  majoring  in  Criminal  Justice  and  Sociology,  but  she  hasn’t  always  done  so  well:  “I  didn’t  feel  prepared  for  college.  Taking  developmental  education  showed  me  the  importance  of  studying  and  doing  well.”  Breanna  came  to  TCC  for  a  number  of  reasons:  “None  of  my  family  have  graduated  college,  so  it  pushed  me  to  be  the  first  in  my  family  to  graduate.  But  I  also  wanted  to  learn  and  get  an  education  to  be  on  a  higher  level.”    

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Connect2Complete: A Conversation with Breanna

Peer Advocate – Tallahassee Community College, FL

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Right:  Breanna,  second  from  right,  receives  recognition  at  TCC.    

Above:  Breanna,  at  right,  helps  a  TCC  Connect2Complete  student.