Paving the Way for Student Exceptionality: Student Success Center

WRITTEN BY YALE HUANG

PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER

Students in the Student Success Center’s 2023-2024 Cohort Program, an initiative to help undergraduates network and connect with their peers within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Walk down the steps of Mayer Hall and turn towards Gilman Road. Nestled in the bottom floor is a sheet of glass covered in hexagonal patterns, like honeycombs or organic molecules. Peer inside and you’ll see cheerful yellow wallpaper, an array of inviting tables and chairs, and students lounging in plush seats, chatting with one another or immersing themselves in school work. 

This academic and pre-professional resource hub is the Student Success Center (SSC), designed to help students find opportunities outside of the classroom that will aid them in post-graduate success. The Center’s roots trace back to 2020, when then-Associate Dean of the School of Physical Sciences Hermann released a department-wide survey to assess students’ academic and professional needs. When responses were returned, the gap in campus resources became clear: students, especially those from disadvantaged communities, were not receiving enough guidance on their career paths. One common question surfaced. What do we do with our degree after university? 

The discrepancy was especially evident amongst first-generation and underrepresented students. Many of them came to college with the expectation they’d find jobs so long as they achieved good grades, only to emerge four years later lacking the vital internship, networking, and research experiences required to make them star applicants in industry or higher education. 

“[The question became how] we can create a hub for students to find professional development support, career exploration, research, mentorship, things that weren’t already being done at a longitudinal level,” says Assistant Director Francheska Morataya, who oversees the Center’s various educational programs and initiatives and provides general advising.

Assistant Director Tina Gov agrees. Her main focus is career development, encompassing everything from industry recruitment and company tours to alumni events. She joined the Center in January of 2020, a month before it officially opened in February, and has worked through all the various iterations of programs. 

Through their various interactions with students in programs, by appointment, and during Student Council meetings, both Francheska and Tina have noticed a sense of alienation prevalent amongst transfers. Many had difficulty acclimating to UC San Diego’s academic and social environment, a topic general resource centers were unable to help them navigate. 

This type of scholastic and community alienation is exactly what the Center aims to address. In a direct response to student needs, its programs equip students with mentorship, professional development, and research opportunities, placing special emphasis on post-graduation resources. For example the T-REX (Transfer Research Experience) Program places incoming transfer students in a 4-week research program with a principal investigator and graduate mentor in the School of Physical Sciences, allowing them direct access to an opportunity that can launch their scientific career. In addition to gaining research skills, they make life-long connections with fellow transfers and gain a sense of belonging within UC San Diego as they navigate daily life at their new university. 

“You come in not knowing anything, having to learn a new culture and environment that’s really tough, because there’s 45,000 students here when you came from a small community college,” says Director Roxanne Farkas, who oversees the Center’s logistics and resource staff. “So being placed in the T-REX program allows you to meet faculty, get a mentor, and start working in a lab with a grad student mentor.”

“It’s hard for [transfers] to get acclimated, going from semester to quarter system and adjusting to the culture,” Tina adds. “So I really like the fact that [the T-REX Program] is geared towards transfer students because I feel like there aren’t a lot of programs on campus that pertain to them.”

Francheska highlights another program, the EXperiential Projects for Accelerated Networking and Development (EXPAND) program. Established by two physics graduate students who recognized the need for a more integrated and formalized introduction to research, the EXPAND program pairs undergraduates with no prior research experience with a graduate/postdoc mentor to work on a self-contained ten-week project. In the process, the EXPAND program catapults curious students into the academic field and allows them to gain valuable insight into research and industry. 

“I think it’s really important for students [to go for ideas you have], because you never know what kind of impact you’ll have,” Francheska says, noting that the EXPAND program only began due to the ability of students to pilot the programs that attend to their specific needs on campus. 

Another way that the Center differentiates itself from other campus resource centers is its direct interface with students. Through the combined efforts of staff and students, the Center emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with a revamped peer-to-peer modality and relaunched its in-person events, providing undergraduates with accessible and valuable hands-on resources. These include employee tours at biotechnology companies in the San Diego area, mentor-mentee programs, and student council meetings with groups in the Department of Physical Sciences. 

Additionally, the Center hires student employees to facilitate activities for undergraduate health and well-being, ranging from physics and math seminars for first years, fun on-campus socials, and wellness events. The Center also provides plenty of resources for student organizations on campus, including funding for student-led initiatives, hosting physical events, and collaborating with American Chemistry Society-Student Associate (ACS-SA) for Chemistry Career Day, an opportunity for students to learn about career opportunities in the chemistry and biochemistry field.

“[After remote pandemic work], we needed to envision ourselves as a resource for students again,” says Roxanne, who led the Center’s transition from virtual modality to in-person learning. She notes that they faced various logistical and recruitment-related challenges during the changeover, but emphasizes the importance of student voices in paving their own path forward: “I believe a center should be run by students because that’s how they gain knowledge for success.”

In addition to its facilitative role, the Center also offers a physical space for students to wind down, both mentally and physically. When Geisel Library is just a few steps too far and your dorm or apartment is halfway across the campus, the Center’s cozy studying nooks and cheerful environment create the perfect environment for late-night cramming. 

“[We] wanted the space to be intentional for students to have a place to work, to collaborate, to meet other students,” Roxanne explains. “Work environments are crucial for one’s growth, so I feel like [the Center] is a safe space – kind of like the community centers on campus, but specialized for math, physics, and chemistry.” 

In the 2024-2025 academic school year, however, the Student Success Center announced that programs and staffing would be significantly reduced due to significant budget cuts at UC San Diego. Although a huge disappointment for students and faculty, the staff at the Center are working tirelessly to ensure the Center’s resources will still be available in future years, and reaffirms their commitment to benefiting students in every aspect of their academic and professional lives.

“There is still hope, and the only reason we still have hope is because of all the students that are still around in the Center who benefited from or created change through the Center,” Tina states. “You guys are all so bright, and you are the future.”

Roxanne agrees. “We’re a hub that helps triage, but we’re also there to help and listen,” she says. “I believe in students and their success at the Center.”

“I got to connect with so many different types of students, whether that’s cohort students, EXPAND, or people who walk into the Center…I’m grateful for all the connections I’ve made, and that’s what I’m going to miss the most,” adds Francheska. Her message is simple: “Use your voice. Demand what you think you need.” 

From its conception, the Student Success Center has seen vast expansion of pilot programs, evolution of its resources to accommodate student needs, and collaborations with different campus resources to execute events that foster student growth. Throughout the process, the Center has maintained its core mission, prioritizing student success through a holistic approach and striving to help students find success in every aspect of their academic and professional careers. 

Thank you, Student Success Center, and godspeed! 

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Director Roxanne Farkas, Assistant Director Francheska Morataya, and Assistant Director Tina Gov from the Student Success Center for allowing me to interview them about their experience with the Center! 

A full list of the Center’s programs is available on the Student Success Center website (center.ucsd.edu).