Confidence from community: coaching success at Durham Tech

Image © Durham Tech

“At community college, we meet you where you’re at,” says Tiffany Robinson, who works as lead coach in student development and support at Durham Technical Community College in North Carolina.

Across two counties, Durham Tech’s seven campuses welcome 18,000 students from all education and life experiences. They can study both credentialled courses and continuing education classes in everything from art to tech, designed to lead to further education or more fulfilling, living-wage jobs. It’s part of the state’s 58-strong network of community colleges, which ensures no one is more than 50 miles from the opportunity of further education.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an A student in high school or a returning adult wanting a fresh start – the whole community is here and we embrace everyone,” says Tiffany. “In turn, we have our whole community to depend on to help our students with resources. It’s a wonderful thing.”

This ‘open-door’ admissions policy creates a diverse student community, whose success depends on equally diverse support. That’s where the holistic, person-centred approach of Success Coaching comes in. Eight success coaches advise students throughout their time at Durham Tech. Their tailored approach helps students to align their everyday actions to short- and long-term goals for their academic, professional, and personal development.

“The success coach serves as a mentor, guide, and venting point for any student,” says Dr Abe Dones, VP and Chief of Student Services. “We ensure students have what they need and help eliminate any barriers to pursuing their academic dreams.”

People often start out by joining the free Summer Success Academy. Here, prospective students learn the steps to a successful college experience. They explore guided career pathways, meet teaching staff, get support with financial aid and wraparound services, and have a taste of campus life before term starts.

After developing a self-taught interest in tech, student Ellis Brown found the academy gave him the focus to follow that passion into an IT career. He’s now on his way to getting a university degree.

“It was hard to navigate which path I wanted to go on, but I built the confidence to pursue further education,” he says. “Knowing you have a person who’s there for you, who won’t leave you high and dry, was the most helpful. It pushed me to want to do better.”

The Success Coaching Framework ensures students move through the curriculum and connect with job opportunities in their chosen fields. From enrolment and studying, to keeping them on course with goal setting, planning, and practical resources, as well as helping students manage the transition to university or a career, coaches are there for every stage.

Coaches bring a deep knowledge of the college and wider community, which helps them connect students to outside resources – such as childcare or housing assistance – and the in-college network of tutors, clubs, and events that make the college experience successful and fulfilling. Reflecting on her role, Tiffany’s view of ‘success’ is as diverse as the community that makes up the college. For some, it may be the accomplishment of passing a class. For others, it’s transferring to university.

“Seeing students at graduation makes my heart smile,” she says. “When you see the student who you referred to the food pantry or to tutoring walk across the stage – that’s the real reward.”

Oak supports Durham Technical Community College through our Special Interest Programme, which provides our Trustees with space and flexibility to make grants outside of Oak’s other programme strategies. To find out more about the Durham Tech Success Coaching programme, watch this video below.