For many teenagers, the path from high school and directly into college is relatively smooth. An 18-year-old with supportive high school counselors and help from parents can find their way to a college or university with a little effort.
However, for someone who delays college for just a few years and accumulates responsibilities like a family, a job, rent or a mortgage, and even pets, the formerly frictionless path into college is now filled with turns, barriers, and potholes.
The Access@OTC initiative at Ozarks Technical Community College aims to help adult students navigate the often-intimidating college enrollment process. The outreach targeted adults who would qualify for the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant. Fast Track provides free education for students older than 25 who study subjects that are in high demand, like computer science, welding, and nursing.
“A Springfield elementary principal learned about Fast Track and thought it would benefit many of her parents,” said Tammy Quinn, OTC student success mentor. “We worked with Springfield Public Schools to find parents who qualified for Fast Track and would be interested in attending OTC.”
On Tuesday nights in March and April, three adults in their late twenties and thirties met at Boyd Elementary to learn how to attend OTC. The OTC Student Success Mentors, Tammy Quinn and Chris Hunsaker walked the prospective students through applying for financial aid, registering for classes, using OTC’s online learning management system, and all other college enrollment aspects.
Access@OTC was free to the students; they all received one OTC credit hour for completing the program. The participants also received dinner and free childcare as part of the initiative.
“The babysitting helped out a lot,” said Ashley Bluebaum, an Access@OTC participant. “Boyd is my son’s school. He’s comfortable here. I knew he was being taken care of while I was in the conference room learning.”
Ashley is a single mother of three working as an administrative assistant for Springfield Public Schools. She’s enrolled in OTC for the fall and plans to study business.
“I always wanted to go to college, but I was always scared,” Ashley said. “So, it’s time for me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Breanna McElroy started college at OTC as a teenager but struggled like many first-time college students. Breanna only considered trying college again once her son’s school reached out.
“If my son’s school hadn’t offered this program, I wouldn’t have known it was possible,” Breanna said. “I thought I wouldn’t be smart enough to go to college, but Tammy and Chris don’t make you feel stupid. They give you hope.”
Breanna is in recovery from a substance use disorder, and she escaped from an abusive relationship. The mother of two is in a better relationship and is looking forward to starting the Behavioral Health Support program in January 2024. She wants to help individuals who have faced the same struggles.
For William Carroll, this is his second go at college. He attended Crowder College in Neosho right out of high school and earned an associate degree in drafting and design. Now, at 30, he plans to study cybersecurity in the fall, and the Fast Track grant made it a lot easier to say yes.
“Not having a mountain of student debt is always nice,” William said.
While the Access@OTC program started small with only three students, the student success mentors learned much with the pilot program and plan to expand it across the city.
For the three students who did attend, the small class size was invaluable and gave these non-traditional students optimism.
“I was like, ‘Wow, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.'” Ashley said. “I can still get a career. I can still improve my future, support my family and have a pretty little certificate to put on my wall.”
Photo caption: Access@OTC participants (L-R): Ashley Bluebaum, William Carroll, Breanna McElroy