Isela Bonilla will be the first to tell you she wasn’t terribly excited to start her college experience. “To me, my education always felt like a job,” said Bonilla, a freshman at Washington State University Vancouver. “I didn’t feel like I was making a choice for myself.” Last summer, however, Bonilla flipped the script and made quite a choice: moving to Vancouver on her own for school from her hometown of Sunnyside. In the months since the move, she’s seen her wariness for the secondary education experience fizzle away. She credits much of that relief to an introductory program for first-year students at WSU Vancouver called University 104, a yearlong program that allows students to meet consistently with advisers and meet students with similar areas of academic interest. Among the sections of the classes is a cohort of students in the THRIVE program, which stands for Truth, History, Resilience, Intersectionality, Voice, and Equity. Made up of first-generation students and students of color, such as Bonilla, the program offers a personalized approach to close gaps in achievement and retention alongside white peers through class conversations around identity and communal experiences.

The advising process for first-year students is an ongoing, constantly adapting effort to smooth the transition between high school and college for the school’s youngest and most anxious students. Though still a teenager, Bonilla — a student confident in her speech and seemingly wise beyond her years — emanates a vibe that’s far from anxious. “This class forced me to live in the moment, to reflect on myself and what I really want,” she said. “As a first-generation student, it’s hard to know what your plan is going to be. But this class made me feel like I had a choice in how to make that plan.” Adapting to a need The class is a key piece in WSU Vancouver’s plan for the future. Recognizing a need for stable enrollment amid changing student demographics over a decade ago, the school started making alterations to its approach to advising services for new students to improve retention among its younger students, who were more likely to drop out than transfers. “What the data shows us is that among our first-year students, there’s historically been a lower retention rate,” said Domanic Vanthom, WSU Vancouver’s vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment.

For example, Vanthom said, a veteran in their 30s may not typically require the same amount of academic structure to propel them to success as an 18-year-old still adjusting to the freedom of college life. Inconsistent and infrequent advising sessions proved to be an issue for how WSU Vancouver and other colleges were aiding new students toward graduation, leading the university to create University 104, which focuses on exploring academic and career opportunities directly with an adviser, who doubles as a class instructor. All incoming students with fewer than 30 credit hours in their academic record are automatically enrolled. “Instead of that traditional method where you’d lay eyes on a student three times a year, we tried to be more holistic and build community from day one,” Vanthom said. “What it does, instead of the three points of contact throughout the year, we’ve built in 15 contacts in a single semester, we have a curriculum based on cultural wealth, identity and personal development.” Success in THRIVE At WSU Vancouver, the student population isn’t just becoming younger — it’s becoming more diverse. Of the school’s 2,833 students as of fall 2022, 43 percent are first-generation college students and 35 percent are students of color. In Bonilla’s class with the THRIVE cohort, students read and discuss books on identity to incite exchanges of personal stories and promote self-advocacy.

“We’re really trying to convey the idea that students’ cultural wealth really matters,” said Thabiti Lewis, an English professor and the associate vice chancellor for student affairs. “Many of our students during the pandemic who were really struggling may have left if not for that virtual community they established as first-years. The University 104, 204 and 250 classes helped them establish a sense of community.” On Thursday, a group of students in University 250, the second semester of the program, were asked to unpack positives in everyday life to see how they might translate to different settings. In the simplest of icebreakers, class adviser Sawyer Barragan prompted students, all of whom are in the THRIVE cohort, to share what it means to have a “good experience.” That focus on seemingly small positives can and should be applied to as many moments as possible, he said, directing the class to begin group conversations about “dependable strengths” that exist in work settings otherwise assumed to be simple or mundane. In unpacking what it takes to be “just a barista,” Barragan and the students identified a dozen or so transferrable life skills — organization, effective communication, patience — that are equally valuable in both a coffee shop and the chancellor’s office, he said. Throughout the year, students develop unique relationships with Barragan who, though a professor in this setting, said he has much more experience in advising. By learning about their life experiences over the year, his career advice and suggestions can be better tailored to the individual. At the same time, as these students share with the class, they develop bonds and trust with each other, which, too, provides a good setting for self-reflection and empowerment.

“Identity-based bias can compromise our ability to recognize and develop personal strengths,” Barragan reminded the class. In addition to academic and career advice, Barragan said, perhaps the most critical element of his role is to provide what he calls “social advising,” which includes highlighting resources and student groups to get students more involved in campus life. “It’s not necessarily like coming from a faculty perspective,” he said. “There’s something more personal here. We’re speaking to students almost as peers to help guide their experience on campus.” By opening a space for students of color to embrace identity alongside academic interest, Barragan, Lewis and other leaders at the school hope the class can make the beginning of college for first-year students — particularly those of color or the first in their family to attend — a much more inviting setting. “The goal is to build relationships with students,” Lewis said. “That’s a real connection to the institution. One of the things that keeps students in college is knowing there’s someone there they have a real relationship with.”

A mentorship pipeline Beyond participating in the first-year program, advisers in the University 104 system identify and recruit standout students to return as second- or third-years as peer mentors to help lead classes of freshmen. “What I notice is that a lot of students come to me for advice,” said Faafetai Brown, a fourth-year student and outreach and retention leader for the program. “I thought I’d be tutoring for classes, but most students ask me about mental health and relationships.” Other peer mentors concur, adding that helping to create a better sense of community through sharing experiences alongside academics is especially important for students of color as they enter college. “This becomes a home away from home,” said Kevin Davey, a second-year student and peer mentor. “As someone in a minority group, talking about personal stories of where you came from — like for example, I’m an adopted child — made me feel vulnerable but in a positive way. I felt like I could really talk to my peers.” As Barragan’s Thursday class wrapped up, the reminders of homework assignments — mock-ups of resumes and cover letters — weren’t met with annoyance, rather a sentiment of disappointment that the semester was already almost halfway done.

“This is the only class I have that feels like it goes by fast,” said Bonilla in Barragan’s class. “Oh yeah,” Barragan replied. “It flies.”