The transition to college is challenging, especially for BPS graduates who are first generation college students and are unfamiliar with the academic, administrative, and financial requirements. Working at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (BFCIT), and UMass Boston (UMB), PIC postsecondary coaches help students navigate the transition from high school to college and make progress toward a degree and a career. Coaches connect students with college and community resources while providing them with guidance and support to successfully navigate the years ahead.
What PIC Coaches Do
PIC postsecondary coaches work with BPS graduates who are attending BHCC, UMB and Franklin Cummings Tech to help them navigate and succeed in college. With career pathways into high-quality jobs as a goal, coaches help students navigate multiple aspects of college life, including choosing a major, transferring credits to other colleges, and accessing financial aid. Coaches help students with personal challenges related to work, transportation, health, finances and family responsibilities. A key objective of the process is to empower young people to navigate systems and decisions on their own as they reach adulthood.
HOPE Forward Initiative
PIC HOPE Forward coaches, funded by the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions, focus on supporting and empowering Black and Latino young men. These coaches work in collaboration with BHCC’s HOPE program (Halting Oppressive Pathways in Education), an asset-based, student-centered initiative that works to examine and eliminate the social, institutional, and academic barriers that often prevent males of color from achieving their full potential at BHCC and beyond. HOPE Forward students have access to community gatherings and seminars on history, culture, race, healing and empowerment, in addition to coaching.
Career Coaching
As PIC-coached students at BHCC approach graduation, PIC career coaches funded by the Salesforce Foundation provide next-step, specialized support, helping students access internships, career planning, job training, and continuing education to help them build their networks and transition into a fulfilling and life-sustaining career.
For more information on PIC’s college coaching, contact  Annabelle Cataloni, Assistant Director for Postsecondary Education