Video: College students raising children get extra mentoring and other help at this school

Audrey Urban and Rebecca Honeyman, two students juggling classes with their roles as mothers with young children, talk about their experiences at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, S.D.

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Adult student standing in front of the Connecticut State Capitol where she works full time.

Personal connection helps atypical student find her place

Jean Rienzo is something of an anomaly at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s a 32-year-old single mother who lives off campus and has a demanding full-time job—certainly not the typical student at a public liberal arts university in New England. Still, Rienzo found her place—and succeeded—with the help of a caring, kindred spirit: her advisor.

Daniela Figueroa on her “new” campus at Florida International University.

Consistent guidance key in navigating the first-year fog

After sailing through high school, Daniela Figueroa almost ran aground during her first year at Miami Dade College. She was overwhelmed by the school’s size and the wide range of choices it presented. Fortunately, the college’s “appreciative advising” program—and the personal bond she forged with her advisor—put her back on course.

Instructors Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager sit across from one another at a table in a common campus area.

Two educators, a dual role, and a single mission

Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager aren’t just instructors in business and accounting at Lake Area Technical College; they’re also highly involved advisors. Between them, Hofer and Stager keep close tabs on 80 students at the South Dakota college—not just academically, but personally. It’s a dual role embraced by every faculty member at Lake Area Tech.