Success Coaches Credited for High Achieving Students at JCSU

CHARLOTTE, N.C.– Second year Johnson C. Smith University student Yafreysy Mora  is not the only one of more than 1,300 students at the Historically Black University with big dreams. Lucky for her and others there are team of more than eight success coaches on campus to turn those plans into a reality. One of those coaches is Flora Quick.

“We create another layer of support,” said Quick, “we let the students know that we are the first stop, so if they don’t know where to go, who to talk to, they have a problem. They don’t know what resources we have on campus. So they call me I will walk with you, I’ll talk to you and figure out what we need to do.”

According to the numbers from JCSU so far the program is working, 47 percent of first year students who received success coaching earned a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher. Mora said she’s already a motivated student but having a coach like quick has been a game changer.

“It can really change how you look at everything because suddenly school is not something you have to do. It’s something you want to do because there are people there waiting to be proud of you. And that’s just beautiful,” said Mora.

Quick said the goal is simple, “for them to stay here, be happy, earn their degree and see them across the stage, but also know that they are going on to the next step and that is to become a professional or a business owner.”

A little help going a long way.