UMSL Bridges Gap Between High School and College

Natissia Small challenged 250 students at the St. Louis Airport Marriott to make some choices.

“It’s your choice to do great things,” said Small, the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ assistant dean of students and the Bridge program director.

“It’s your choice not to get distracted,” she said.

Small addressed students and their families at a breakfast awards ceremony Friday morning at the end of the four-week-long summer Bridge.

UMSL’s Bridge Program reaches out to students in the St. Louis area, who are underserved by universities, to prepare them for college and career. The program helps students gain social skills needed for professional environments.

Pattonville's Blake Douglas was one of the student emcees for Friday's program.

During the four-week summer program, students go through hands-on math, science, personal presentation and career-oriented sessions. UMSL professors and administrators run the sessions.

The message seems to be working, Small said. So far, the program has a 100 percent rate of students attending post-secondary school.

Tirae Abernathy, of Lutheran North High School, challenged her fellow students.

“It is up to you to use what you’ve learned, to stand up and become what you’ve dreamed of becoming,” Abernathy said. “Stand up and be a CEO of a successful company.

 “Think, see, conquer and achieve,” she said. “Thank you Bridge program staff for teaching me this.”

The students applied information in hands-on situations, such as building a model roller coaster or dissecting animals.

One of the science instructors, Kelly Taylor, said students grew tremendously during the program. For instance, attitudes toward dissection changed, she said.

“At the beginning, they said, ‘We can’t touch that; it’s a dead animal,” Taylor said. “By the end, they were asking, ‘Can we cut into the skull? Can we look at the brain?’”

Students said their Bridge experiences were valuable.

Therrance Carrothers, 16, who will be a junior at McCluer High School, said he learned to speak in front of groups.

“It also helps you learn about finding jobs and knowing what college you should choose,” Carrothers said.

He said he wants to attend an Ivy League school or Howard University in Washington, D.C.

The keynote speaker at Friday’s event, Marva Robinson, a psychologist at Grace Hill Health Center, told students they need to have a plan for success and follow it.

“You have to ask do your activities align with your goals? Are you connected with people who can help you achieve that goal.”

 “Do your best. Take what little we’ve taught you and allow it to grow,” Small told students. “Take what you’ve learned back and share it with others who could not be in the seats next to you.”