Guided pathways helps bolster student success

Key takeaways 

• Guided pathways helps students see a simple path to graduation  
• Advisors can better support students with pathways in place 
• Nontraditional students may benefit most from guided pathways

Sayra Diaz, 18, Associate Degree, Class of 2020 

By going to college, I hope I make my daughter proud. Giving her the best things that I didn't have would be a really good thing to live for. 

I'm a full-time student, I'm a full-time mom, and I'm the first in my family to go to college. 

My parents didn't get very far in school. My stepdad got to sixth grade, my mom got to third grade. They really pushed me to go to college and finish high school.  

So, this is how my day goes: My husband wakes up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready for work. I get up, I make him lunch, and then go back to bed. My daughter and I wake up at 9:30. We start making breakfast, I clean up, do some laundry, then bathe her. My husband comes home, he takes care of our daughter. I get an hour to sneak in some homework. My mom comes to pick my daughter up; my husband takes me to school. We pick up our daughter, and I make dinner. I have to finish my homework, I put my daughter to bed. My husband and I talk for a bit—it’s the only real time we have. By 11:30, we’re asleep. 

I went into college not knowing very much. I had no idea where to start. I would cry every night and call my mom, and be like, “Oh, I’m going to quit.” 

This is my first semester with guided pathways, and I feel more relaxed. 

I went into my counselor’s office, and I told him that I wanted to become a teacher. He started showing me: These are the classes you have to take; this semester, you’re going to take English with math, and then two easy classes so that you don’t have an overload.  

Now I know what to do. I feel like I’m not wasting my time. I’m determined to finish those classes so I can move on. 

My brothers, they really look up to me because I’m the oldest. My 10-year-old brother always says, “I want to be like Sayra.”  

I went to school, two weeks ago, and we were in the car and my daughter, she was like, “Mommy, I’m so proud of you.” And then we just started bawling our eyes out. I’m going to, yeah. She’s great.