果冻传媒app

Even before first-year student Veronyca Houck-Creekmore 鈥�28 stepped foot on campus at RMC, she鈥檇 attended several sessions with a cohort of fellow students鈥攁ll women of color beginning their first year at RMC鈥攁nd it showed. 

鈥淚 felt like I had a little bit of a community before I came on campus through the meetings we had,鈥� said Houck-Creekmore. 鈥淚t just made me feel a lot more comfortable about transitioning to college.鈥�

A community of support among peers, faculty, and staff is a hallmark of the 果冻传媒app experience. In its first year, the new Black, Biracial, and Latina Initiative for Student Success (or BLISS) program is setting out to ensure that women from historically underrepresented communities are finding those connections and thriving on campus.

The initiative is funded through a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and led by RMC鈥檚 Director of Advising Resources LaNea Winston, who launched BLISS for the 2024-2025 academic year with three pillars as its guided principles:

• a sense of belonging
• academic success
• career development

It specifically targets female students of color, who had historically had rates of retention lower than their white peers at 果冻传媒app. 

The programming for the 21 first-year students participating in the inaugural cohort began with a virtual pre-orientation with RMC staff members who are women of color themselves, like Taylor Cox 鈥�22, Coordinator of Inclusive Engagement and Outdoor Programs, and Mariah Payne, Assistant Director of Disability Services. Many of the participants are first-generation college students, and the meetings provided a space for them to address concerns ranging from practical (what to bring to college) to emotional (the natural nervousness of a new situation). That mentorship extends to a program called 鈥淗ey Aunties,鈥� where students are paired with faculty and staff mentors who they meet with at least every two weeks for guidance and support.

While the initial transition to college is a critical touchpoint, BLISS is designed to support students with programming throughout the year. After a few weeks of classes, the group met for lunch and a session called 鈥淐ourageous Conversations,鈥� where students had a safe space to talk about anything they were going through or struggling with. The calendar for the rest of the year also includes cultural events like the Dia de los Muertos at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and visits to the American Latino Museum and National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

In addition to cultural and community events, BLISS exists to set young women up for success.

鈥淭he first year is really your foundation,鈥� Winston explained. 鈥淲e’re going to do some success coaching, where they will hold each other accountable for their weekly goals, whatever those may be, and help them to explore and plan different majors.鈥�

鈥淏ecause we have scheduled meetings, it keeps me accountable and in check with my work,鈥� Tliyah Boyd 鈥�28 added.

While the semester is just a few weeks old, Winston has already seen BLISS have an impact on students.

鈥淭hat sense of community has already started happening,鈥� Winston said. “I usually see two or three of them together, whether that鈥檚 eating lunch or walking to class. I don鈥檛 know if that would have happened without knowing each other before the semester started.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 a very quiet person, I don鈥檛 like to talk a lot. But just knowing that, even if I don鈥檛 seek out Ms. Winston or one of the other girls for help, knowing that they are there for me has been really special,鈥� Kamaya Wilson 鈥�28 said.

By building a foundation of community, BLISS is empowering young women to unlock the full potential of the greater 果冻传媒app community. The ultimate goal, as this group of students progresses through their time at RMC, is to have them serve as mentors for future cohorts of first-year students.

鈥淢y hope is that they will be able to build a community that they can expand, that they can feel comfortable with, that we can give them the tools,鈥� Winston said. 鈥淚 want them to feel that not only did you all prepare me academically, but you prepared me from a professional standpoint as a woman of color.鈥�