{"id":1483,"date":"2016-04-19T14:26:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T14:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/184.173.81.185\/~mycareer\/sanjac\/?p=1482"},"modified":"2016-04-19T14:26:44","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T14:26:44","slug":"under-performing-students-test-drive-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SanJac_test_drive\"<\/a>Intentional Connections programs helps connect students with the right career path.<\/h2>\n

The San Jacinto College Intentional Connections program provides guidance and mentoring to an underserved group of students \u2013 lower level college preparatory students who struggle with core subjects, but want to complete college and improve their lives.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2011 with only a handful of students, the program gained traction rapidly. The enrollment at all three campuses for the Fall 2015 semester was 600.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe offer Intentional Connections because under-performing developmental students often need extra assistance in order to adjust to college, stay in college, and complete certificates or degrees,\u201d commented Dr. Rebecca Goosen, San Jacinto College associate vice chancellor for college preparatory.<\/p>\n

Myrna Valdez, Intentional Connections coordinator, says most students at lower levels of college preparatory (developmental) classes have virtually no chance to succeed in college, often due to a lack motivation and support. She says that many of these students do not have a role model to follow, are often first generation college students, and are not aware of how to obtain financial aid or what questions to ask. \u201cThey need someone who can guide them to make the right decisions,\u201d added Valdez. \u201cThey just need some helpful guidance, support, and encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trained faculty members serve as Intentional Connections mentors, or case managers, and work closely with identified developmental students, learning what career fields they may be interested in, and evaluating their educational strengths and weaknesses. After an assessment process, mentors help the students to get \u201cconnected\u201d with key administrators and faculty members. \u201cWe let students \u2018test drive\u2019 different programs,\u201d Valdez remarked. \u201cFor example, if a student says he or she is sort of interested in culinary arts, then we introduce the student to the culinary arts department chair, and the student gets to attend two or three culinary arts classes (not for credit) to see if it will be a good fit. If that does not work out, then the student can test drive another program.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"pg<\/a>

Intentional Connections allows students to \u201ctest drive\u201d programs to ensure it is the right career path for them.
Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College.<\/p><\/div>\n

One student who found new direction through Intentional Connections is Charles Powell. By his own admission, Powell does not do well in language arts. He does, however, enjoy building things and doing light mechanical repair work. During his assessment process, he said he would like to attend some auto collision repair classes. There was an instant connection, and Powell performed well in class, earning an occupational certificate in auto collision repair technology. After graduation, he found a good job in an auto body shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntentional Connections made a big difference,\u201d Powell said. \u201cMy reading skills improved and overall performance in other areas improved. I finished college and found a career I really like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intentional Connections case managers track the progress of developmental students until the students either earn college certificates or associate degrees, or until they transfer to higher institutions. Valdez says it is gratifying to help steer \u201cat-risk\u201d students in a positive direction. \u201cI see how their attitudes change toward college once they meet with department chairs, visit classes, and learn first-hand from experts in the field,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Goosen says Intentional Connections provides a significant return on investment. \u201cWe are helping people who in the past frequently felt overlooked at school and are often marginalized to turn their lives around and become much more productive than they would be without college training,\u201d she commented. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to lose anyone, because everyone has value. Everyone can learn, given the right circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Rob Vanya<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Intentional Connections programs helps connect students with the right career path. The San Jacinto College Intentional Connections program provides guidance and mentoring to an underserved group of students \u2013 lower level college preparatory students who struggle with core subjects, but want to complete college and improve their lives. Launched in 2011 with only a handful… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-1483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nUnder-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs - Spring 2016 and previous editions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Intentional Connections programs helps connect students with the right career path. The San Jacinto College Intentional Connections program provides guidance and mentoring to an underserved group of students \u2013 lower level college preparatory students who struggle with core subjects, but want to complete college and improve their lives. Launched in 2011 with only a handful... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spring 2016 and previous editions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-19T14:26:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"419\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"sanjaccreate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"sanjaccreate\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/\",\"name\":\"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs - Spring 2016 and previous editions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-19T14:26:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/14a53e99bb7091479cec81edc9757557\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":419},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/\",\"name\":\"Spring 2016 and previous editions\",\"description\":\"Just another San Jacinto College Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/14a53e99bb7091479cec81edc9757557\",\"name\":\"sanjaccreate\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6485d3dc800e7aa40e8b461595478504410ab6f145fe5e4413493729a0153f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6485d3dc800e7aa40e8b461595478504410ab6f145fe5e4413493729a0153f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"sanjaccreate\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/author\/sanjaccreate\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs - Spring 2016 and previous editions","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs","og_description":"Intentional Connections programs helps connect students with the right career path. The San Jacinto College Intentional Connections program provides guidance and mentoring to an underserved group of students \u2013 lower level college preparatory students who struggle with core subjects, but want to complete college and improve their lives. Launched in 2011 with only a handful... read more","og_url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/","og_site_name":"Spring 2016 and previous editions","article_published_time":"2016-04-19T14:26:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":419,"url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"sanjaccreate","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"sanjaccreate","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/","name":"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs - Spring 2016 and previous editions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg","datePublished":"2016-04-19T14:26:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/14a53e99bb7091479cec81edc9757557"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/04\/SanJac_test_drive.jpg","width":960,"height":419},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/under-performing-students-test-drive-programs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Under-performing students can \u2018test drive\u2019 programs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/","name":"Spring 2016 and previous editions","description":"Just another San Jacinto College Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/14a53e99bb7091479cec81edc9757557","name":"sanjaccreate","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6485d3dc800e7aa40e8b461595478504410ab6f145fe5e4413493729a0153f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6485d3dc800e7aa40e8b461595478504410ab6f145fe5e4413493729a0153f9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"sanjaccreate"},"url":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/author\/sanjaccreate\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1483"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/fall-2016-volume-1-issue-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=1483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}