To: Professor Witte

From: Austin Atienza

Subject: Final Project Memo

The ultimate goal of this project was to find a solution for scholars in New Futures who

find themselves struggling academically. I have not written a research paper in a long time and

the previous papers that I have written did not require any primary research. I believe this was

a good learning opportunity as this seems like something that I will continue to do in my

profession (Civil Engineering). The hardest part for me was deciding on a topic. I had a lot of

topics that I am passionate about, however after the peer-review sessions and the initial

meeting with you, I realized that they are not feasible for the project. After our first meeting

and your advice to think about the context first, I was then more easily able to pick out a topic.

This is one of the core ideas that I learned in your class: analyze the audience first. By thinking

about my audience/context first, it was easier to think about something that was a problem in

that context and thus paving way for this recommendation report. The rest of the report was

relatively easier because I knew and understood the context and so it was definitely easier to

identify the problem and gage how feasible each solution was.

Overall, the course went really well for me. I think that I learned a lot as it was definitely

different than all the other English courses that I have taken. I still feel like I need to work on my

technical writing skills, but this class definitely served as a good foundation off of which to build

my skills. As mentioned, one of the most important lessons that I have learned is to always

analyze the audience as this will make the writing flow better and become more tailored to a

specific audience. Thank you for the great semester and for helping me build a strong

foundation to better my technical writing.

1
Audience Analysis:

The primary reader for this project would be Julie Green who is the Executive Director

for New Futures. She is the one who would ultimately be able to approve a new program or

approach to what is currently being offered. The secondary reader would be Griselda Macias

who is the Program Director for New Futures. She works directly with scholars and so she

would have expertise on the needs of her students. She would also be able to fully advice Julie

Green on the implication of the recommended solution. The tertiary readers are the scholars.

They will want to know what the recommended solution is and provide their feedback on how

well they think the solution would work. The gatekeeper is Ellie Geraghty is my advisor. She is

the one I work with directly and I could go over my proposal with her and have it looked over

and approved before she talks about it to Julie Green.

2
3
Dear Ms. Ellie,

Having been a scholar for New Futures for 4 years now, I can say that I would not be

where I am today if it weren’t for New Futures. I love New Futures and everything it stands for.

New Futures has helped me graduate from my community college with an Associate’s Degree in

Civil Engineering while significantly alleviating some of the financial burden that comes with

attending college. However, there is always room for improvement in the organization.

One of the aspects that New Futures lacks, is a strong system that helps scholars in a

time of academic struggle. The goal of this recommendation report is to therefore provide a

possible solution to this problem in order to help scholars find success in their academic career.

Research was done to help provide a logical and feasible solution to the problem.

My hope is that the recommendation will be an easy-to-implement solution with the

maximum benefit to the scholars. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this

recommendation report.

4
Recommendation Report to Help the Scholars of New
Futures During Times of Academic Struggle

To: Julie Green

Written by: Austin Atienza
Date: May 16, 2019

5
 Table of Contents

I. Introduction………………………….………………………….………………………….………………………….1

II. Methods………………………….………………………….………………………….…………………………….1-3

a. Secondary Research………………………….………………………..……….………………………….1-2

b. Primary Research………………………….…………………….…………….………………………….2-3

i. Survey………………………….……………………………………….………………………….2-3

ii. Interview………………………….………………………………………………………………….3

III. Results………………………….………………………….………………………………………………………….4-8

a. Secondary Research………………………….…………………………….…….………………………….4

b. Primary Research………………………….………………………….…………………………………...5-8

i. Survey ………………………….………………………….………………………………..…….5-7

ii. Interview………………………….………………………….………………..………………….7-8

IV. Discussion of Results………………………….………………………………….………………………….8-9

V. Conclusions………………………….……………………………………………….………………………….10-11

VI. Recommendation……………………………………..………………………….………………………….11-12

VII. Works Cited………………………………………….……………….………………….………………………….13

VIII. Appendix A…………………………….………………………….………………………….………………….14-16

IX. Appendix B…………..………………….………………………….…………………………………………………17

X. Appendix C………………………….………………………….…………………………………………………18-19

6
I. INTRODUCTION

New Futures has no doubt changed the life of many students by providing

financial support for students to obtain their certifications, college degrees, and desired

careers. Beyond financial support, New Futures also offers workshops that help their scholars in

areas such as communication, priority-setting, study habits, and career development along with

one-on-one academic advising and career coaching. What New Futures lacks, however, is a

system that supports their students academically. While developing strong study habits are

important, many scholars still struggle with their classes and find a difficult time maintaining or

achieving a high GPA. Because the scholarship requires scholars to maintain a certain GPA, it is

necessary to provide a strong system for scholars to find support when they feel that their GPA

is falling. A majority of scholars will find that during their time with New Futures, they will

experience certain hardships that will cause their GPA to be negatively affected. To help

promote the success of the scholars, it is crucial for New Futures to implement a system that

helps prevent academic struggle or helps alleviate it should a scholar find themselves

struggling.

II. METHODS:

A. Secondary Research:

The goal of the secondary research is to help provide insight into the different types of

factors that help lead to a student’s academic success. This will lead to a more informed and

logical approach when coming to a final recommendation. Research was done by reading

7
different articles and scholarly journals that have been published in order to gain knowledge on

the different factors that have led to a student’s career. This research was primarily done by

using the database EBSCOhost and PROQuest along with searches on Google. The journals and

articles that were used in the research were primarily found by searching for phrases similar to

“factors that lead to students’ success in college.” The journals and articles were then read and

analyzed to help with the recommendation.

B. Primary Research:

I. Survey:

The first goal of the primary research is to establish that there are a significant number

of scholars in the New Futures scholarship that are struggling academically. This would serve to

show that there is a need to put in place a system to help the scholars that are struggling

academically. There is no data that is readily available on the academic status of the scholars in

New Futures. Obtaining this data would give insight on the academic standing of the scholars

and information on the need for an academic support system.

To obtain this data, a survey was done to get feedback from a large number of scholars

and get a wide range of information from different scholars. The survey was sent out by myself

along with the help of my New Future’s mentor, Ellie Geraghty. Most of the scholars answering

the survey were students that have completed at least 60 credits or are either Juniors or

Seniors in College. To help prevent any biases in the questions of the survey, the questions

8
were asked in neutral wording. Answer choices were selected so that they would only answer

the question directly.

II. Interview:

The second goal of the primary research is to determine how the mentors at New

Futures feel it is best to help their students achieve success in college and how they go about

helping their students currently. This would give the mentors a chance to reflect on the kind of

help they offer and possibly work on specific areas that they are lacking in. There is no data that

is available on the thoughts of the mentors on the success of their students and the process

which they go through in order to help them. This would serve as a great opportunity to get

their insight on the problem and to learn about the current solutions that are in place now. This

would benefit the final recommendation as it will help take into consideration how beneficial a

new system would be and to avoid anything that is already being done.

This goal was accomplished by conducting an interview with one of the mentors, Ellie

Geraghty. This gave me a chance to speak with them directly and get their honest feedback.

The interview was done by email in which questions were sent out to her and her replies were

emailed back. Open-ended questions in which the interviewee could answer freely was chosen

in order to reduce any biases.

9
III. RESULTS

A. Secondary Research:

There are benefits to forming peer-success groups as they can foster a sense of

belonging and support to its members. The article “Fictive Kin and Social Capital: The Role of

Peer Groups in Applying and Paying for College,” for example, shows that a peer-success group

creates a network of college students that are willing to help each other out in order to achieve

success (Tierney). This provides a network of students that care about the success of its

members and aim for everyone to be successful. While New Futures calls its members a

“family,” enhancing and strengthening the bonds between its members could be beneficial to

the academic well-being of its scholars.

A study also found that retention and graduation rates were higher in students who

were academically prepared, received grants/scholarships, and were in smaller classes (Millea).

This means that it is important that these three factors can be looked at more in-depth to see

how New Futures can make sure that they are addressing them. New Futures already offers

scholarships, but strengthening their workshops on academic preparedness and/or working

closer with individual students could be helpful in the success of its students.

In addition, some community colleges and universities offer College Success Courses

(CSCs) that are designed to help students transition from high school to college. These courses

include topics such as getting rid of bad study habits. These types of classes can be mimicked or

used during the workshops in order to help scholars feel ready for college or their careers

(Coleman).

10
B. Primary Research

I. Survey:

A total of 14 responses were received from the scholars. The results show that there is a

variety of scholars that responded to the survey based on the credit hours they were taking in

the current semester (See Figure 1).

Figure 1. Results show that there is a variety of scholars taking the survey with most of the

scholars taking 12-15 credits or 16-18 credits.

Currently, a majority of scholars (64.3%) answered that they were doing well in their classes.

However, 35.7% of scholars answered that they were not doing so well with 7.1% of that

percentage doing very poorly (See Figure 2).

11
 Figure 2. Scholars judge how well they are doing in their courses currently. A majority of the

scholars are doing well, but there are still a significant percentage that is struggling

A majority of the scholars (71.4%) answered that they have received a grade of a C or below in

one of their classes signifying that a high number scholars have experienced some type of

academic struggle (See Figure 3).

Figure 3. A majority of scholars reported receiving a grade of C or below in one of their classes

12
A majority of scholars also report that they do feel that there is a readily available space for

them to go should they find that they are struggling. However, there are still a significant

percentage scholars that say they do not (See Figure 4). It is also important to note that none of

the scholars answered that they have not been struggling.

Figure 4. A high percentage of students still find that they are no available places for them to go

when they are struggling.

II. Interview:

According to Ellie, she works with about 45 scholars and 80% of them are attending a

four-year university. After inquiring on the kind of help that she offers scholars that are in need

of academic assistance, she replied that they offer one-on-one academic advising that helps

scholars build new study skills, time management, self-advocacy, etc. She also mentions that

sometimes a mentor will help a scholar find a tutor for a specific subject through New Future’s

network of members. After failing a class, she says that a scholar is placed under academic

13
intervention. This means that a scholar and the mentor will be in contact more frequently

during the following semester. The scholar must maintain contact with their mentor on a

weekly/bi-weekly basis so that the mentor can assure that the scholar is staying on track and on

top of their work (Appendix B). The scholar is also required to fill out the Academic Intervention

Form which includes the scholar’s mid-term grades and notes from their professor along with a

signature to verify that the scholar has talked to the professor (Appendix C).

IV. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Based on the secondary research, it is found that success groups have positive benefits

on the academic success of college students. This idea can be adapted to New Futures. Because

New Futures has different career pathways (IT/Cybersecurity, Hospitality, Culinary Arts, Health

Sciences, Construction and Infrastructure, Public Service or Education), strengthening the bond

between each member could work the same way as a success group. This would include team-

building exercises and workshops tailored to each specific career pathway. Workshops would

be set up so that only members their career pathway would attend. This serves the purpose of

strengthening the relationships among scholars in the same pathway, and the secondary

research also shows that students perform and learn better academically in smaller groups

(Millea). The content of the workshops would not be changed, only the size and members

attending would. As opposed to having all the scholars attend one big workshop, the workshop

would be split up at different times for each scholar.

While talking to a mentor is important to the success of a scholar, it might not be

sufficient. Ellie mentions that she will offer guidance on time management, study habits, etc.,

14
however, this may not be enough. She also mentions that sometimes mentor will try and look

for tutors for the scholar (Appendix B). However, tutors for a certain subject may be limited and

a high percentage of scholars still report that they don’t feel that there is a place that is readily

available for them to go for help (Appendix A). Another possible solution, therefore, is a

tutoring system among the scholars. Each mentor could ask a high performing scholar to help

other scholars that may be struggling in a subject in which they are doing well. This would help

scholars in a technical sense as most mentors are not able to provide specific help related to

the material of a course.

Some community colleges and universities offer College Success Courses (CSCs) that are

designed to help students transition from high school to college. These courses include topics

such as getting rid of bad study habits. These types of classes can be mimicked or used during

the workshops in order to help scholars feel ready for college or their careers (Coleman). When

scholars have failed a course, a required 1-day course should be implemented. In this course,

scholars would learn the importance of time-management, self-advocacy, good study-habits,

prioritization, and general skills that lead to a scholar’s success in college. The course will be

taught by the mentors the same way that the workshops are taught now, however, this will be

an in-depth course where scholars will have the opportunity to really grasp the importance of

these factors. Here, they will also have the opportunity to brainstorm with other scholars and

explain what went wrong during the semester and how they can prevent it from happening

again. This would be a more interactive approach in addition to the Academic Intervention Plan

(Appendix C).

15
V. CONCLUSIONS

The goal of the recommendation is to ultimately help scholars when they find that they

are struggling academically and to help prevent them from reaching that point or getting there

again. The solution should be feasible for New Futures and the scholars. The solution should

also be relatively easy to implement yet have great benefits to the success of the scholars.

Having workshops setup so that the scholars work with the people in their pathway has

beneficial value. Scholars would be placed with other scholars in their pathway which creates a

sense of belonging and increases the bonds between the scholars. This allows for a group that

has a stronger relationship and that cares deeply about the success of their fellow scholars. This

also creates scholars that are like-minded and often will take the same types of courses as their

fellow scholars. This then provides scholars with the technical knowledge to help other scholars

in their pathway.

Similarly, a tutoring system between the scholars could provide additional benefit to the

scholars. A significant percentage of scholars still say that they do not have a space readily

available to them should they need help (Appendix A). This tutoring system would not only

strengthen the bonds between the scholars but also gives scholars another option to go to

should they need help. A tutor from the scholars would also be able to aid more than a mentor

in the technical sense as the tutor will have more knowledge on the subject. The number of

scholars to be able to tutor should not be difficult to find as many scholars report doing well in

their courses (Appendix A). However, the willingness of the scholars to devote their time to a

tutoring system should be considered.

16
 A mandatory workshop for those that have failed a course would serve to help the

scholars learn from their mistake and prevent them from doing it again. The course offers a

more in-depth lesson than the short meetings that scholars are required to have with their

mentor. The course would offer stronger benefits to the scholar than the current intervention

plan in place now. The enthusiasm of a scholar to attend such a course after failing should be

considered though. This also places the scholar in a position that compromises the anonymity

of their academic performance as this course would be specifically designed for those that have

failed a course.

VI. RECOMMENDATION

A mandatory workshop would compromise the anonymity of the scholars academic

standing and may feel more like a punishment rather than a means to help them succeed. For

this reason, the mandatory workshop is eliminated as a possible solution. Both the tutoring

system and the set-up of the workshops are viable option. Both options actually seem to

complement each other as the workshops help build stronger bonds between the scholars

which increases the willingness of the scholars to devote time to helping their fellow scholars.

The proposed solution is, therefore, a combination of the workshop set-up and the tutoring

system.

Because New Futures has plenty of workshops, both optional and mandatory, they

should be set-up so that the scholars interact more with those of the same pathway. This will

be done by having the scholars sit in the same table as those with the same pathway.

Throughout the workshops, scholars will work closely with their fellow scholars and in order to

17
help build those bonds. Every workshop would be set-up like this in order to keep reinforcing

and strengthening the bonds between students.

During the time of hardships, a mentor could refer a scholar to someone in their

pathway that has been doing well in a specific subject that they are struggling in. The mentor

could then set-up a tutoring system between the two scholars. Because of the bonds and

connection that they have made during the workshop, this allows for an environment of

success between the two scholars.

18
 Works Cited

Bauman, Stephanie San Miguel. "Exploring and Promoting the College Attendance and Success
of Racial/Ethnic Minority Students." Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development,
vol. 47, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 37-48. EBSCOhost. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

Coleman, Sandra L., and Carol T. Weller. "College Success Courses: Success for All." Community
College Journal of Research and Practice, vol. 2, no. 5, 2018. ProQuest Education
Journals. Accessed 12 Mar. 2019.

Examining Student Success: Student Definitions and Perceptions of Success at the California
Community Colleges, University of California. 2011. ProQuest Education Journals.
Accessed 15 Mar. 2019.

Hackmann, Donald G. "Career Academies: Effective Structures to Promote College and Career
Readiness." Clearing House, July 2018. EBSCOhost. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

Jaunarajs, Imants, and Eileen McGarry. "Organizational Alignment to Promote Leadership

Development for Career Readiness in College Settings." New Directions for Student
Leadership, 2018. EBSCOhost. Accessed 16 Mar. 2019.

Kallison, James M., Jr. "The Effects of an Intensive Postsecondary Transition Program on College
Readiness for Adult Learners." Adult Education Quarterly, vol. 67, no. 4, Nov. 2017.
EBSCOhost.

Lapan, Richard T. "College and Career Readiness Counseling Support Scales." Journal of
Counseling & Development, vol. 95, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 77-86. EBSCOhost. Accessed 14
Mar. 2019.

Millea, Meghan. "What Matters in College Student Success? Determinants of College Retention
and Graduation Rates." Education, vol. 138, no. 4, Summer 2018, pp. 309-22, web-a-
ebscohost-
com.montgomerycollege.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=0eaed61
0-54ad-471b-8565-45d0bb60928b%40sdc-v-sessmgr04. Accessed 12 Mar. 2019.

Monahan, Jessica. "Promoting College and Career Readiness: Practical Strategies for the
Classroom." Teaching Exceptional Children, vol. 51, no. 2, Nov. 2018, pp. 144-54.
EBSCOhost. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

Tierney, William G., and Kristan M. Venegas. "Fictive Kin and Social Capital: The Role of Peer
Groups in Applying and Paying for College." American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 49, no.
12, Aug. 2006. EBSCOhost. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.

19
Appendix A

5/15/2019 English Paper Survey

English Paper Survey
I'm required to obtain a survey for a research paper in my English class and would appreciate all the 
responses. All your answers are anonymous and are not linked to you. Please take the time to answer 
these 5 questions and thank you in advance!

1. How many credits are you taking this semester?
Mark only one oval.

 0­6
 7­11
 12­15
 16­18

2. On a scale of 1­5, 1 being very poorly and 5 being very well, rate how you are doing in your
courses?
Mark only one oval.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5

3. Have you received a grade of a C or below in any of your classes?
Mark only one oval.

 Yes
 No

4. If you find yourself struggling for any of your classes during the semester, do you feel that
there is a readily available place you can go to get help?
Mark only one oval.

 Yes
 No
 I have not been struggling

Powered by

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16fXWql-ZyAMeQZ1-WlPrz3W1PlBT29QteWh22bGkFtE/edit 1/1

20
21
22
Appendix B:

1. How many scholars do you work with and do they attended a two-year or four-
year institution?
I work with about 45 Scholars (and over 150 Alumni!) and about 80% of Scholars on my
caseload are attending 4-year universities. On average though, the other advisors at
New Futures have about 60-80 Scholars on their caseloads that are 100% two-year
university or Certification seeking Scholars.
2. What kind of help do you offer scholars who are in need of academic assistance?
Great question! Each Scholar has the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with their academic
and career advisor at New Futures that can help the Scholar discover new study skills,
best practices with time management, self-advocacy and time
management. Sometimes an advisor will help Scholars find tutors in specific subjects
through our New Futures network of other Scholars, Alumni, board members and
friends of New Futures. We also offer multiple workshops in the beginning of the
Scholars program to further provide information and tools to set each Scholar up for
success during his/her program.
3. Do you often find that scholars are struggling academically?
It really depends! I work with a lot of impressive, dedicated and motivated Scholars
who are often balancing not only school priorities but work and family needs. When I
do find a Scholar is struggling, a lot of times it is because of certain external factors that
preventing this student from taking the time they need to properly study and prepare
for his/her academic class. Also, the Scholars I work with have extreme self advocacy
skills, so if they are struggling academically, usually I don't find out about it until after
they've gone to talk with their professor, gotten extra help, tried alternative study
methods, etc. and have come to me with a solution!
4. What are the procedures that follows after a student fails a class and has to re-
take it?
When I find out a student failed a class, I usually take some time to ask some follow up
questions. I think about how many other classes they were taking that semester, what
else was going on in their life at the time, what they specifically struggled with (was it
the teacher, was it the content-- what about the content?) to get the bigger
picture. Usually, a Scholar will be placed on academic intervention for the following
semester, which just means that the student and I will be in frequent contact as they
retake the class.
5. What steps does New Futures take to ensure that the student succeeds when re-
taking a class
As mentioned above, usually a student will be placed on Academic Intervention. With
Academic Intervention, a student is asked to remain in weekly/bi-weekly contact with
their advisor (via phone or in person) with the hopes that this contact will help the
Scholar stay on track and on top of his/her work. They also will be required to submit
mid-term grades and notes from his/her professor. I've attached the Academic
Intervention guideline for you to look at!

23
Appendix C:

Academic Performance Plan

New Futures invests staff and financial resources in support of each Scholar on his or her path to completion
of a post-secondary education and into financially-secure careers. It is our intention that your determination
and our support will result in successful completion of your educational program.

As you may recall from your New Futures Orientations, every Scholar is expected to maintain a 2.0 GPA
every semester and cumulatively. A Scholar who does not meet this requirement is placed on academic
probation and given the following academic performance plan to follow for the next semester. Know that
New Futures is here to support you. The following expectations are meant to be a contract between you, the
Scholar, and New Futures to help you succeed this following semester.

New Futures Will:

• Check in with you bi-weekly via e-mail or phone;
• Provide access to resources or tutoring as you request; and
• Refer you to campus-based academic support services or community resources depending on your
specific academic needs.

You Will:
• Notify New Futures of any support you need to succeed in your academic program;
• Have on going communication with New Futures, including responding to bi-weekly check-ins;
• Check in monthly with each Professor; and
• Submit a New Futures Program Midterm Progress Report at a mutually-approved date between you
and New Futures (see document below).

Failure to meet any of the above expectations may result in the termination of your New Futures scholarship.
Failure to raise your semester or cumulative GPA to a 2.0 or above may also result in the termination of
your New Futures scholarship.

Scholar Name:

Scholar Signature:

Date:

24
 New Futures
Midterm Progress Report

Scholar Name:

Institution:

Semester: Year:

This student is the recipient of a New Futures Scholarship. Students are required to provide a report of their mid-
semester grades and progress signed by each professor. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Griselda
Macias, Program Director, at Griselda@newfuturesdc.org. Thank you!

Class Current Grade Professor Name Comments

and Signature

Additional Comments:

25