Succeeding in college these days is indeed the "heroic accomplishment" described by North Shore Community College President Wayne Burton and Linda Saris, director of Salem CyberSpace, in their letter that appears at right on this page today. And that's especially true when one is from a family whose principal language is not English or whose financial circumstances require him or her to fit both studies and working within the space of a 24-hour day.
But for a fortunate dozen students making the transition from high school to college has been made just a little easier thanks to a unique program offered by Salem CyberSpace in conjunction with Salem State College and other area institutions of higher education.
As described in a story by Amanda McGregor last week, Salem CyberSpace — which since 2002 has been an important resource for disadvantaged high-school students in Salem — has expanded its role. For the first time this school year, the nonprofit agency began employing a part-time "success counselor" to help guide students through their freshman year of college.
College presidents like NSCC's Burton and SSC's Patricia Meservey, fervently hope every student who walks through their schools' doors in the fall leaves with a degree within a reasonable number of years. But that's not necessarily an easy thing to achieve for publicly-funded institutions whose student bodies include many immigrants, commuters and working parents.
Despite Massachusetts high schools' rather rigorous graduation requirements and best-in-the-nation standardized test scores, not everyone who receives a diploma this June will be prepared for college in the fall. Salem CyberSpace aims to give as many as possible that's extra bit of tutoring and counseling they may need to succeed as freshmen and thereby gain the motivation to continue with their studies beyond that first year.
The results thus far have been encouraging, and we wish Saris success in getting the grants she needs to make the part-time counselor position full-time next year, which will allow her organization to help even more students.
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