GGAL graduates attend an all-day retreat for college success

GGAL graduates attend an all-day retreat

In June 2022, recent GGAL graduates attended an all-day retreat to learn practical skills on how to manage their first 1-3 months of college. The overall goal of the retreat was to prepare our future college students to transition into college and to not feel bombarded by information overload. The retreat was led by WISE' GGAL program coordinator, Stephany Lopez, and WeLEAD program coordinator, See Lee. The retreat workshops covered three primary objectives:

1. How to manage time

2. How to understand a syllabus

3. How to advocate for yourself in a school setting

Tools for managing time

Time management is one of the most important skills for students. College students have to manage their time wisely as they may have to juggle classes, work, and/or extracurricular activities – all the while making time for themselves. During the workshop, GGAL graduates inputed their own real college schedule into their Google or Apple calendar. They were taught how to use the different functions on the calendar, including how to set reminders and meetings.

Understanding a syllabus

A syllabus can vary depending on the professor and their teaching style. GGAL graduates were able to review two real college syllabi and highlight primary information, including

• A breakdown of how the professor will grade students based on attendance, class participation, and homework assignment/projects

• Penalties for late homework/projects and how to proceed in such cases

• How to read the tentative course schedule and know which homework assignments are due when

Advocating for yourself in school

GGAL graduates were given three scenarios depicting students struggling in school and how they might proceed. The three scenarios were based off of real situations that current and former WeLEAD participants faced in school.

1. Scenario 1: A student is struggling with a class

2. Scenario 2: A student is going to miss an in-person exam

3. Scenario 3: A student is being mistreated by a professor

Graduates were prompt to think about what they would do in each scenario and what resources were available to them if such situations were to occur. Additionally, graduates learned how to write a professional email to their guidance counselor, professor, or whomever they were seeking support from.

Congratulations to all our GGAL graduates!