Grants have made the First Step program a resounding success: At the beginning of the 2006–07 academic year, the University enrolled 30 First Step graduates — seven were new students, and the remaining 23 had a retention rate of 100 percent.
First Step Institute
First Step Institute opens doors for young women of color
Each summer, St. Catherine University offers the First Step Institute, an immersive summer program that introduces the possibilities of higher education to female high school students of color. Each week-long session of the institute is open to 25 girls.
A family affair
One of the biggest indicators of First Step’s effectiveness is the participation of alumnae’s younger siblings. Two First Step and St. Catherine alumnae, Ramatoulie Jallow ’09 and Azieb Kidanu ‘09, have younger sisters who enrolled for First Step sessions in summer 2009. This kind of legacy participation speaks for not only for the First Step program but for the entire University. In fact, there are 30 First Step alumnae, from first-year to senior, enrolled for the 2009 fall semester at St. Kate’s.
First Step is mainly for young women in Minnesota, but the program’s reputation has reached as far as Texas and Georgia, with two participants coming from those states in the 2009 sessions.
First Step is funded by the following organizations:
- The June and Cecil McDole Charitable Fund
- RBC Foundation - USA
- General Mills Foundation
Transforming students and staff
Doubara Wis-Wolo ’09, returned for her fourth year as a First Step staff member in summer 2009. Though she did not participate in the program herself as a high schooler, Doubara has seen first-hand the life-changing power of First Step: “It’s amazing to see the transformation in students from the first to the last day. Being a staff member, you take part in that change and growth. I’ve learned about myself, about them and about life.”
A legacy of opportunity
First Step Institute began 34 years ago as Un Primer Paso, a college preparation program geared specifically toward Latina high school students. The program widened in scope in 1999 to include high school girls of all multicultural backgrounds and the name was changed to First Step Institute.
The overall focus is to prepare students to be one step ahead in the college journey. Unlike other college preparatory programs, First Step addresses students as whole individuals, looking not only at academic achievement but also personal wellness and awareness.
“First Step addresses not only achieving academic excellence but also mental and cultural wellness, social justice, self-awareness and the importance of community. First Step is designed to prepare the whole student for college preparedness,” said Director Shvonne Johnson.
In response to students’ limited transportation options, both sessions of the institute are offered as week-long, overnight experiences rather than as daytime-only program. The residential experience leads to a strong sense of community during the week-long institute and relieves the pressure of a daily commute for the students.
Activities during the institute include observing college classes, a panel with professional women of color, presentations from St. Kate’s Health and Wellness staff and, of course, the fun of staying in a residence hall. One of the primary goals of the institute is to show students that even if they come from a hard background, they can achieve success in whatever field they desire.
The program receives generous funding from General Mills and RBC Dain Rauscher which amply covers the cost of staffing, overnight housing on campus and other expenses.
