Where in the World Are CV Alumni?

One of the initiatives in CV's new College Success Program is to work closely with a core group of 16 first years at the Community College of RI. These students are meeting regularly with CV advisors, participating in CV pre-semester orientations, and working hard to succeed at CCRI. A recent New York Times article highlights the growing trend in the college access field to focus on college completion, not just access.

Yuselly Mendoza, CCRI '11, participates in this pilot program.

"I finished my first semester at CCRI, and it was a great accomplishment. I managed to turn in all my assignments and received good grades. To be honest, I have better grades now than I did in high school. I worry more, because I know [college] is serious, and the fact that no one is telling me what to do means that it's all up to me whether I keep going or not. I'm in my second semester now, and so far I'm keeping everything on task. As they all say, 'Hard work pays off!'

"This semester I'm looking forward to my Western Civilization and Psychology courses, which definitely brings back high school memories, because all the work and lectures that my professors are teaching are related to the multi-cultural and psychology classes I took during my senior year. Most of my classes are at night, and it may sound silly, but I like taking night classes. I meet more interesting people than I do in the morning, and it seems to me that the professors are friendlier since it's the end of the day. They want to make the classes smooth, not only for them, but for us also.

"I go to three different campuses: Liston in Providence, Downcity (downtown), and Knight in Warwick. My schedule is crazy, but at the same time it is exciting. When I'm in Downcity, my next class is at Liston, and I only have thirty minutes to get there. Since I take public transportation, there have been times when I missed the bus and had to power walk to Liston, knowing that I only had fifteen minutes to get there. The funny thing is that there were other students who missed the bus too, and asked if they could walk with me. Missing the bus and power walking to class was another way that I met people. Overall, CCRI is pretty cool."