Peer Mentoring/SOAR

Mentors are a great resource, especially when navigating unfamiliar experiences.  PEF is harnessing the power of peer mentoring to help more high school graduates attend college, succeed, and complete a four-year degree.

In spring 2011, PEF received $1 million from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for SOAR - Student Opportunities, Access and Retention. SOAR will help boost college completion rates for Hamilton County students who enroll in Chattanooga State Community College with plans to move on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) for completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree.

Seventy students from Tyner Academy, Brainerd, Central, Red Bank, and Soddy Daisy High School are benefitting from this multi-year mentoring program:

• Students are selected during their senior year in high school, and start receiving services such as campus tours, help with financial plans and applications, and developmental courses to prepare for college-level work.
• During the summer between high school and college, students attend Camp Tiger, a two week orientation program at Chattanooga State that has sessions on college success, study skills, and participation in a ropes course for confidence and team-building.
• Each student is paired with one of twelve peer coaches from Chattanooga State. These peer coaches will offer advice, encouragement, and support to help students through the transition from high school to Chattanooga State and throughout their first year of college.
• During the second year, the students will be paired with peer coaches at UTC who will serve in a similar capacity. Students who stay on track will participate in the Summer Career Development program which allows them to visit business sites and do job-shadowing internships.

SOAR builds on the work of the College Access Mentoring program which, similarly, assigned college mentors to encourage and guide high school students through the college enrollment process.  This included a college bonanza day on admissions and financial aid, test preparation, and workforce shadowing with local businesses.  After one year of hard work, 100% of participating students applied to at least one college or technical school.

For more information on SOAR, contact
Elizabeth Burgess or
Greg Tate
423.668.2434