{"id":23546,"date":"2023-01-27T16:07:16","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T16:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=23546"},"modified":"2023-07-10T18:34:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:34:13","slug":"academic-success-coaches-help-students-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/27\/academic-success-coaches-help-students-thrive","title":{"rendered":"Academic success coaches help students thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Without the support she received from her high school mentor, Cinthya Vieyra said she wouldn\u2019t be where she is today: a professional academic success coach<\/a> at the ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cinthya
Cinthya Vieyra, academic success coach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA word of advice from Mary Cooper stuck with me throughout my academic journey and career: perseverance,\u201d said Vieyra. \u201cTo always keep going. Things may change and challenges will arise, but always have resiliency in your actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college student growing up in a single-parent household, Vieyra often lacked the guidance needed to succeed in school. As a woman of color, she noticed the barriers she ran into looked different than those of her white peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mentor understood these structural differences and instilled in her the belief that as a minority student, she should \u201cnever forget that your potential is boundless.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also motivated her to become a mentor herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From mentee to mentor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cooper nurtured and reinforced Vieyra\u2019s confidence while supporting her underlying potential to develop. She connected Vieyra with scholarships, set up field trips to potential colleges and listened to her career goals. She offered much-needed academic guidance toward those goals, Vieyra said, making dreams that before felt seemingly distant become a reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These kinds of lessons and assistance are the same that Vieyra has since brought into her own mentorship of students throughout her career and currently at UW Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was the type of student who really needed that role model in my life,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where my drive comes from when working with students as their mentor. I want them to have the support in school and in life that I received.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vieyra received her bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology with a minor in leadership and public service from Notre Dame de Namur University in Silicon Valley. She went on at the same institution to get a master\u2019s in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction. As Vieyra recalls, her high school mentor continued supporting her through higher education, helping her set short- and long-term goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A calling to help <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of these goals was to find a sense of belonging on campus. So with Cooper\u2019s encouragement, Vieyra found a job in admissions as a first-year student. She went on during her second undergraduate year to direct the orientation team. As a junior, she worked in career services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Vieyra\u2019s original plan was to become a teacher, all this work with fellow college students \u2014 made possible with her own mentor\u2019s help \u2014 helped her realized she could help students struggling with the same things she went through in the same ways her mentor helped her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her first job after graduating was as a college coach for a nonprofit organization working with public and private institutions nationwide, where she mentored more than 120 students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst-hand experience made me better equipped to support students, as many of them were first-generation,\u201d Vieyra said. \u201cA major concern was access to different resources, including how to navigate their financial aid package, and how to balance school and work. Many of the conversations I was having were like the ones I had with my mentor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confidence and self-advocacy <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Help with understanding the nuances of financial aid is only one element of how academic success coaches help students. During their meetings \u2014 which vary from just once to once a week or simply as needed \u2014 coaches and students review class assignments and break them down to manageable sections. They go over exams. They build calendars to help the students stay on track to graduate. And they develop academic, career and social goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe talk about setting aside initial hardship and moving on to the tools and resources that can help them stay accountable now,\u201d said Vieyra. \u201cA huge part of my job is teaching students to advocate for themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes they just need to ask questions to get the help they are seeking,\u201d she noted, \u201cbut asking those questions is a form of self-advocacy, a skill many students haven\u2019t practiced.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vieyra said she works to foster self-confidence in students, as from her own experience she knows that students with more confidence will be more likely to advocate for themselves. If students need extra help with their coursework, she also encourages them to talk with faculty during office hours or send an email to set up a Zoom meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome students haven\u2019t had the experience of meeting one-to-one with a professor so learning various ways of doing so can be really powerful,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Success in many forms <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vieyra recalls in particular the growth of one student she met with once a week during autumn quarter. The student needed help navigating campus resources while also wanting to be accountable for their studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis student was very shy. They came in not knowing how to talk to professors or how to navigate Canvas, the learning management system where they can access course content, submit assignments and collaborate with peers and instructors,\u201d Vieyra said. \u201cThis student really wanted to succeed so we covered a lot of ground every week. At the end of the quarter, they told me they felt confident as a student and no longer needed to continue our weekly meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI let them know I was very proud of them,\u201d she said, \u201cand that if they come across another barrier at any point, they\u2019re more than welcome to come again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many students who seek her out have imposter syndrome \u2014 particularly first-generation students \u2014 and are especially hard on themselves, Vieyra said. She also recalls a student who had a goal to keep their grade point average above 3.5 in all classes. Then the student received 87% on a final exam and was unhappy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she asked the student how they prepared for the exam, she was surprised they went to office hours, attended tutoring sessions and created study groups \u2014 all the steps for success they had talked about. \u201cIt turned out the class average was 60%, so in fact the student did fairly well,\u201d Vieyra said. \u201cWe discussed that in fact it was just a really hard class. The student left our meeting feeling good that they actually rocked the exam!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing a way forward <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Helping students own their own accomplishments and then celebrating them is one of Vierya\u2019s greatest joys in working as a mentor and success coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am most proud when they no longer need me,\u201d she said, \u201cand always leave them with the words of my own mentor: Perseverance is everything. Always keep going. Things may change and challenges will arise, but always have resiliency in your actions.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s National Mentoring Month — a great time to learn about our academic success program that helps students define their academic, professional and personal goals and develop a plan to succeed in school and in life. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[202,197,200,204],"tags":[],"school":[417,418,419,420,421],"class_list":["post-23546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news-releases","category-profiles","category-students","school-school-of-business","school-school-of-educational-studies","school-school-of-ias","school-school-of-nhs","school-school-of-stem"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAcademic success coaches help students thrive - News<\/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:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/27\/academic-success-coaches-help-students-thrive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Academic success coaches help students thrive - 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