Watching students cross the stage during a Lone Star College-Tomball commencement can make literally hundreds of people feel as proud as a parent.
“We’ve been working with some of these students for two years or more and knowing we helped them take the next step is a little like being a parent,” said Chinda Acosta an Academic Advisor II in the LSC-Tomball Transfer Center and one of the “hundreds” working behind the scenes guiding students to graduation, “It is very rewarding.”
This deep commitment to student success, shared by Lone Star College-Tomball’s faculty, staff and administrators, is a cultural bedrock that pervades every meeting, every project, every plan. What matters most is that students reach their goals, whether it’s earning an associate degree, a workforce certification or making the move to a four-year institution and earning a bachelor’s degree and beyond.
College Fairs, which LSC-Tomball schedules regularly, are an important cog in the many moving parts of an elaborate process that helps students begin, or continue, a college education.
“College Fairs are great because high school students and current college students looking to transfer, can meet and talk with representatives from colleges all over the state,” said Acosta.
LSC-Tomball’s upcoming college fair is November 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and takes place on the campus in the centrally located Commons. It will feature the Houston Area Recruiters Network (HARN), and will feature about twenty institutions. HARN representatives usually collaborate directly with local high school and college counselors, however during college fairs they want to meet personally with students and parents. In this setting, representatives can take a more personalized approach responding to questions about degree programs, admissions, financial aid, housing, and college life. And with all the representatives in one room, comparison shopping is much easier and students are far more likely to discover interesting things about a college that they may not learn otherwise.
Additionally, high school students and their parents, can ask about the various programs colleges use to attract new students. Programs like LSC-Tomball’s Academic Programs and Transfer Initiatives that help put students on a continuous pathway to a four-year college. For example, the Core Curriculum Complete program guarantees that classes students take at LSC-Tomball as part of the Texas Core Curriculum will transfer seamlessly to several four-year colleges.
LSC-Tomball students transferring to participating four-year institutions may also be eligible for application fee waivers, tuition discounts, cooperative advising and other valuable benefits, including transfer scholarships.
For students of every stripe, and especially those who may lack family support, there is an army of dedicated individuals ready and willing to help them make the transition from Lone Star College to a four-year program as smooth and painless as possible.
“There is so much a student has to know and plan for if they want to continue their college education,” Acosta said about preparing young adults for the next phase of their education, “So we want to make sure students take the correct pre-requisite courses, submit required forms on time, and, above all, maintain their GPA’s.”
Sometimes, though, striving for student success means just being there to provide the right words, “Sometimes students just need to hear someone say everything is going to be alright.” And a big part of what LSC-Tomball employees do for students is make sure everything turns out right.
A future college fair is scheduled for January 29 at LSC-Tomball in conjunction with Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO), another organization providing information to college-bound students.
Lone Star College-Tomball is located at 30555 Tomball Parkway, at the intersection of SH 249 and Zion Road. For more information about the college, call 281.351.3300 or visit LoneStar.edu/Tomball.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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