A Helping Hand

As a new college student who has been out of school for quite some time, I needed all the help I could get adjusting to college life. The Women Intentional about Success and Excellence (WISE) program has been very beneficial in helping me on the path towards my future. This program offers fun and educational workshops about leadership concepts throughout the academic year. As participants, we attend eight workshops, a ROSE reception and an end-of-year ceremony. We are also required to attend two campus events outside of WISE and participate in one community service project.

Benefits of the WISE program include scholarship help, resources and networking opportunities. We are also part of a strong support system on campus, which made a big difference for me. The program is designed with our success in mind and it helps us to figure out college and how to be a student.

One of the best parts of the program is Tanika Vaughn, who is the Retention Specialist for the program. She is like my mom on campus, my academic advisor and someone I consider a friend. She has helped me set personal goals and also holds me accountable to those goals. Her main objective is to make sure I have all the necessary resources and tools I need to graduate. 

As members of WISE, we stand out on campus as women who are committed to excellence, are determined to break through barriers and build community as we accomplish our goals. Before this program, I felt lost, like I didn’t know what my next steps were. Now that I am a member of this wonderful and helpful program, I feel confident about where I am going and what I need to do to get there.

Anyone interested in joining WISE should visit CCD.edu/WISE to learn how to apply. From my perspective, I would recommend it to any woman on campus looking for guidance, support and reassurance that she is moving in the right direction.

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Angela "Angel" Martinez is a CCD Freshman working on her Associate of Arts degree. She plans to transfer on to a four-year university and earn a degree in event management.

To learn more about CCD’s WISE program, visit CCD.edu/WISE.