In the midst of uncertainty and unprecedented isolation, a group of college access practitioners established a small community of support known as the "Directors Circle." The Directors Circle served as a safe space for college access and success program
directors seeking support and guidance during the pandemic.
The Circle consisted of three program directors from different college access organizations in the Bay Area: First Graduate, Scholar Match, and College Track.
At the time, each director faced unique challenges in serving their students as their environment was shifting from in-person programming into a reality of virtual learning and engagement.
"You know, I was getting pretty burned out on Zoom and on webinars," said Eric Guico, First Graduate’s program director. "I also thought many of the webinars did not go as deep into the material as I wanted because they were one-hour sessions aimed at
getting people of a wide range of experience levels the fundamentals of the topic. I wanted a place where I can engage in deeper conversations with a few people rather than listening to a series of speakers."
While the Directors Circle meetings were informal, they enabled the participants to discuss daily challenges associated with their work as well as bright spots they experienced in the field. The meetings also created space for the participants to holistically
support one another as they made critical decisions about their professional and personal lives.
For three months, the Directors Circle met virtually to discuss topics and issues centered around:
Ensuring students' needs were being met in a virtual environment.
Shifting from in-person programming to a virtual format.
Developing more equitable approaches to programming.
Managing barriers to communication and staying connected in the workplace.
Navigating internal and external struggles related to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at the height of the pandemic.
Meagan Taylor, the previous program manager at Scholar Match, explained the impact these conversations had on her work: "In response to COVID-19 we had to quickly pivot to a virtual scholarship selection process. I was really grappling with how to make
this equitable for students, particularly virtual interviews. This group helped me brainstorm supports to make the process accessible and comfortable for students, supports that stuck around even after in-person selection became an option again."
Members identified the following as benefits of participating in the Directors Circle:
Having the ability to connect with others outside of your immediate organization at the same professional level. This allowed individuals to be fully candid about their experiences while feeling a sense of camaraderie around shared struggles.
Engaging in a space where resources and ideas can be developed and shared to improve college access and success for all students in their local community.
Receiving thoughtful and critical feedback about new program ideas and initiatives to help boost student engagement and advising during and after the pandemic.
Establishing a support network of individuals who are passionate about creating more equitable postsecondary pathways for students while cultivating organic friendships that extend beyond formal professional ties.
"The Directors Circle offered me a rare kind of compassionate witnessing and understanding. Others in the Circle intimately knew the mission, challenges, and success of college success and access work, yet their distance from my particular day-to-day
allowed them to spot opportunities within my own work with fresh eyes," said Jessica Samples, the previous senior college completion director at College Track San Francisco.
Expanding the Circle to Other Professionals in the Community
The success of the Directors Circle ultimately laid the groundwork and inspiration for a peer mentoring pod pilot program recently launched by the Bay Area College Success Network (CSN). The
Bay Area CSN is a coalition of organizations committed to broadening postsecondary access and success for youth from low-income backgrounds and those who are first-generation to college.
After learning about the Circle's success from Guico, the Bay Area CSN developed a six-month pilot program to offer informal, peer-mentoring pod groups to their members starting in January 2022 and lasting through July 2022. Outreach and advertisement
for the program began in October 2021. The Bay Area CSN began accepting applications shortly after to participate. There were no formal requirements other than an individual’s interest and willingness to meet monthly with their pod.
In late January, the Bay Area CSN assigned individuals to their respective pods based on shared interests and professional titles (advisers, direct-service staff, program directors, etc.). At their first meeting, each pod established a set of shared
community agreements. Some of the shared community agreements were focused on confidentiality, remaining present in the moment, and staying committed to creating a safe space for all pod members. At their monthly meetings, the pods have complete autonomy
over the topics they want to discuss.
The Bay Area CSN has high hopes that the peer mentoring pods will help increase engagement and connection among members. They have expressed the following goals for the pods:
Increase professional development and best-practice sharing among members.
Improve retention in the field by building strong relationships and partnerships among like-minded practitioners.
Strengthen engagement in Bay Area CSN activities and events.
"At the end of the program, it would be great to see enthusiasm for a second or third go-around to build off of the growth and connecting that has already taken place," said Guico.
We asked the Director’s Circle members to share any advice for other organizations and individuals seeking to build community with same-level professionals in their area. Samples emphasized that "time must be invested into creating a container of confidentiality,
brave space, and personal connect[ion] early-on in the process."
Other suggestions and insights offered during a recent interview include:
Be eager and open to learning about new perspectives from others in your field. Others can provide fresh ideas and approaches to work that you may not have considered before.
Step into vulnerability and seek feedback for new and old ideas. Feedback is a critical part of growing as professionals in this field.
Bring a relational lens into all conversations and build a sense of trust early on. Once that is established, individuals can be more accepting of feedback and engage in discussions with more ease.
Keep peer-mentoring pods or circles small. The ideal number of people for each group is three or four because this size allows for a diversity of perspectives and fruitful brainstorming. A larger group may cause disengagement from members and overshadowing
of voices that would like to be, and should be, heard.
NCAN is excited to see the development of these peer mentoring pods; it has been a unique source of collaboration, best-practices sharing, and socio-emotional support for practitioners in the college access field. We will share updates on the progress
and outcomes of the Bay Area’s CSN’s peer mentoring pods, as we believe this approach to professional development can be transformative for the wider college access community.
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