By Kaelynn Hillegass, College Liaison, Advancing Academics; Siani Tjards, College Liaison, Advancing Academics; and Dave Coplan, Director, Advancing Academics
Reading time: Six minutes
Many small college access organizations focus on retention to completion with a wide range of success or lack thereof. This perspective of a very small nonprofit (Advancing Academics) shares a how to model for increasing retention and completion rates among low-income college-bound students. Through the implementation of a liaison system with a schedule of checkpoints and the flexibility to respond to individual needs, Advancing Academics in partnership with the Human Services Center Mon Valley and other minor partners has attained exemplary results with a low-cost model.
Thanks to our membership in the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Advancing Academics started utilizing Student Tracker from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) in 2013 as a means to assess persistence to completion for our college bound students. This tool has provided us with exceptional data documenting our retention rate of over 80% through all of our cohorts since inception in 2006. Early on in our humble beginnings, we established a mentoring component for college bound students which quickly evolved into a paid liaison working with multiple students during those years. The results suggest a model for others to consider that could help to improve the outcomes for low-income college students whose success rates have long lagged their peers with financial means.
In the world of college access, where the path from high school graduation to postsecondary success can feel overwhelming, we have come to believe that no best practice is more important—or more impactful—than the intentional building and maintaining
of rapport and relationship with the students. At the core of this work lies a simple truth: students are far more likely to thrive when they feel seen, heard, and supported by a trusted adult.
In our experience, the students who are most successful in their postsecondary journeys are not necessarily those with the fewest obstacles, but those who have someone in their corner when challenges arise. Too often, students don’t fail because of a
single academic setback or financial aid issue, but because of a lack of direction, support, and consistent guidance from someone who believes in them. That’s why relationship-building must be more than a soft skill—it must be a strategic priority
in any college access program.
Being that trusted adult means more than just offering advice. It means being the one they turn to when Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) updates feel confusing, when a class schedule doesn’t line up with a part-time job, or when they simply
don’t know what their next step should be. It's in these moments that strong relationships translate directly into student persistence.
Although we have had many examples of this throughout the years, one student we worked with exemplifies this idea. She graduated high school in 2019 and attended Clarion University (Clarion, PA) to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. Her college
journey was anything but smooth—her classes shifted dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and during her final semester, she became pregnant and needed to take time off. These are the kinds of obstacles that can easily derail a student’s progress,
especially without a strong support system in place.
But because we had built a deep and trusting relationship over years of working together, she reached out throughout these challenges. She knew she could count on us to help her navigate a leave of absence, re-enrollment procedures, and balancing her
responsibilities as a new mother and a student. Her persistence, paired with personalized support, paid off: she graduated and secured a long-term substitute teaching position—at the very same high school she once attended.
This past year, we worked together side by side, supporting the next generation of students. It was a full-circle moment that reinforced everything we believe about this work: the relationships we build today create the foundation for student success
tomorrow.
This full-circle started with a college access environment that does not just act as transactional and pushes students through to their future destinations, but one where students know they are cared for as a person, not just an outcome. When there is
a foundation set in high school that we are reliable to support students through hurdles they face and care about details in their lives, it is a natural transition to support students and continue to care about the details of their adjustment to
college. With this relational foundation, college students are more free to invite us in when applying for an internship, looking into transferring colleges, or when experiencing adverse life events.
Maintaining rapport with students from high school into college involves staying in touch with students as many aspects of their lives change. When the proximity that our relationship was built upon ends, we must be creative about staying connected. Utilizing
Zoom, FaceTime, or text when students are on campus or meeting in person over college breaks is helpful. However, supporting students now looks more like ensuring they know we are available to help when needs arise, connect to resources on campus,
or reminding of upcoming deadlines.
The support students need does not look the same as it did in high school and we cannot assume it will. They are the experts of themselves, their college experience, and their needs and we can be a trusted person students turn to because we have proven
to be so in the past.
This building and maintaining rapport does not just begin and end with individual students, but continues into families and communities. We have worked with past students’ siblings and friends, these new relationships built out of the trust experienced
in the first one. New college students, as the experts just one step ahead, are eager to return to their high school on holiday breaks and speak to younger students about their experiences, growth, and adjustment in the most relatable way possible.
In the fundraising field, the expression is the three Rs are essential: rapport, relationship, retention. While toward a different outcome, the formula applies for college persistence to completion as well. Everything we do with the students
is relational and builds toward the greatest outcome that can be achieved. Over the past 20 years, Advancing Academics and the Human Services Center Mon Valley have partnered to ensure the best outcomes for the college-bound students served through
a liaison system with dedicated staff engaging the students over time in a meaningful relationship toward a brighter future.
Our specific recommendations are:
Building rapport and relationship during the college application process will ensure contact throughout college during persistence and results in retention.
Set expectations of regular communications and check ins.
Be available for emergencies and crisis situations.
Celebrate the milestones even if from afar on social media.
Utilize student tracker to stay on top of the data.
Designated contacts build the best relationships that will endure the student's time in college and in many cases as they enter their careers.
College access is not just about applications and deadlines—it’s about people. When we prioritize authentic connection, we don’t just help students get to college; we help them stay, succeed, and return to inspire others.
Contact the authors
Kaelynn Hillegass, MA – College Liaison, Advancing Academics, Lead Youth Development Associate, Human Services Center Mon Valley, khillegass@hscmonvalley.org
Siani Tjards, MSW – College Liaison, Advancing Academics, Youth Development Associate, Human Services Center Mon Valley, stjards@hscmonvalley.org
Dave Coplan, MPA, MSW – Director, Advancing Academics, Executive Director, Human Services Center Mon Valley, dcoplan@hscmonvalley.org
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