Gabriella

Gabriella is a student who will be graduating from STRIVE RISE High School in May 2020. Gabriella chose AdvanceEDU because of the opportunity to complete her degree online while also having access to in-person and community support.

Gabriella’s AdvanceEDU Coach walked her through degree and financial aid options before applying. After enrolling, Gabriella went through a career exploration process with her coach and identified that a BA in Communications with a concentration in Business would align to her career interest of one day running a Public Relations firm.

While studying at AdvanceEDU, Gabriella landed an internship at a local company as a social media specialist helping build her experience, professional network and brand. She also received regular support from her AdvanceEDU coach and tutors to continue excelling in her coursework. The AdvanceEDU Co-learning Campus was the perfect location to help her complete her coursework, engage with her fellow AdvanceEDU students and easily access her internship.

Gabriella finished her degree in three and a half years and secured employment in her desired career field post graduation.

Michael

Michael graduated from KIPP Denver Collegiate High School in the Spring of 2018. He was accepted into and attended a four-year university but after his first semester realized it was not the right fit for him. Micheal felt the large campus and the difficulty identifying the best resources for his academic success and social well-being were the biggest barriers to his college persistence. In the spring of 2020 he read about AdvanceEDU in his alumni newsletter and believed this would be a great fit.

Michael signed up and met his coach Lisa who helped him understand the admissions and financial aid process, while also helping him think through career interests and aligned degree options. During his four-week trial period, Michael shared with his coach that he had struggled to manage his time and stay organized in the past. Together they created a weekly schedule for Michael and a plan for him to minimize his distractions from school. After Michael completed the trial period he was all in on AdvanceEDU and completed an Associates (AA) Degree in Healthcare Management with the goal of becoming a Patient Representative. During his studies Michael also engaged with a mentor who works in the healthcare field. This mentoring relationship solidified Michael’s commitment to a career in healthcare administration and helped motivate him to finish his degree.

After earning his degree, Lisa helped Michael plan out his career options and prepare him for interviews. Micheal secured employment at a local Denver healthcare provider and is continuing on to his bachelors degree while starting his career. Michael is well on his way to becoming a community leader in healthcare.

Monica

Monica is a DSST Cole alumni who graduated in the spring of 2016. She was not convinced of her post-secondary plans after high school and decided to take more time to see which path would be right for her. After two years working at her family’s restaurant she enrolled at a local college to start her higher education path. But the lack of flexibility in scheduling conflicted often with her job. After realizing her career goal of owning her own restaurant one day, Monica tried to make her college experience work but chose to leave school when the work-life balance became too difficult.

After another two years, Monica learned of AdvanceEDU and its deep focus on individualized support, career relevant opportunities and high-quality degree offerings. Monica decided this was the perfect opportunity to restart her degree and help her achieve her career goal. She signed up and connected with her coach Carlos. Given her entrepreneurial spirit, together with Carlos Monica determined a Bachelor’s in Management with a concentration in Logistics and Operations was the right path.

Thanks to AdvancedEDU’s self-paced and competency-based model, Monica was able to complete her degree in two and half years while continuing to work at her family’s restaurant. Additionally, AdvanceEDU’s childcare services helped Monica complete her necessary studies more effectively while at the co-working space downtown. When Monica graduated she told Carlos that she is on her way to owning her own restaurant and thinks to herself often, ‘maybe I will own several.’