Fourteen Students Graduate From RIRAL's Transition to College Program

RIRAL's Transition to College (TTC) program graduated fourteen adult students Thursday, June 13.

After months of academic preparation, these students are now well-prepared for the rigors of college life.  Robert Cipolla and Brenda McGill, our keynote speaker, from CCRI, Kim Chouinard from RIDE, and Woonsocket’s Mayor Leo Fontaine offered words of encouragement to graduates John Daignault, Georgia Duncan, Gladys Franco, Monica Gutierrez, Emma Makor, Rita Miranda, Norma Morales, Priscilla Morales, Hugh Muller, Alba Patricia Pena, Jose Perez-Fred, Ophelia Soe, Sambo Sok, and Aparicio Zunum.

For more than thirteen years, TTC has offered adult students a chance to overcome the odds against being successful in college. Working closely with the Community College of Rhode Island, TTC provides an educational experience that further develops academic and personal skills. It also builds confidence in students’ ability to succeed in college and to achieve their career goals.

TTC serves all Rhode Islanders, but most specifically those who live in the Blackstone Valley.  We are a partner in RIDE’s College and Career Transition Initiative for adults needing academic preparation and support prior to enrollment at CCRI.  TTC has served more than 400 students, many of whom come from Woonsocket. This outstanding program has received recognition as a Promising Practice from the National College Transition Network at World Education in Boston where our initial program design was modeled. TTC is a participant in the 5-year longitudinal adult learner persistence project at UMass Dartmouth.

TTC is a comprehensive program that includes: student success, career, and mentoring workshops; academic instruction in reading, writing, and math; educational advising and counseling, and assistance with the college application and financial aid process.  While attending TTC, students enroll for free in ENGL 0850 at CCRI. Upon completion of the program, volunteer mentors provide perspective and personalized attention to graduates as they transition into the academic world.

TTC meets at 191 Social Street Woonsocket  - For more information or to register for our July program, contact Marie Crecca-Romero at 762.3841 x. 22 or email:  MarieCrecca-Romero@riral.org.