Empowering Students With the SDS: A Success Story from NC A&T State University TRiO Upward Bound Program

How NC A&T State University's TRiO Upward Bound Program Helps Students Find Success Using the SDS

About the Program:

The TRiO Upward Bound (UB) program at North Carolina A&T State University is a federally funded initiative designed to support high school students from low-income families, first-generation college students, and those with disabilities. Established in 1966, the program aims to equip participants with the skills and motivation necessary to succeed in post-secondary education. The program offers a variety of services, including academic instruction, tutoring, cultural enrichment activities, and college exploration tours.

The Challenge: Helping Students Align Their Interests with Their Career Goals

Brandelyn Hall, Director of the TRiO Upward Bound program at NC A&T State University, faced the challenge of helping students identify their strengths and align their career goals with their interests. Many students were pressured to pursue careers in fields like engineering or nursing, which did not align with their true passions and abilities. This misalignment often led to dissatisfaction and a lack of motivation among students.

The Solution: Incorporating the SDS to Empower First-Generation College Students

The SDS has become a cornerstone of the TRIO Upward Bound program at NC A&T State University. Students complete the SDS assessment to explore career clusters that match their interests, then use this information to guide their academic and career planning. The program also incorporates the SDS into summer projects, where students research and present on careers within their identified clusters. This hands-on approach helps students visualize their future careers and understand the educational pathways required to achieve their goals.

Success Story: The Implementation and Impact of the SDS

Brandelyn Hall uses the SDS to help her students because she understands its potential firsthand. She has five degrees in mostly unrelated subjects, including a bachelor's degree in communications, a bachelor's degree in journalism, a master's degree in business, and a master's degree in counseling. She has worked in a variety of jobs over the course of her career, many of which she did not enjoy despite that they aligned with her studies and the path she thought she wanted.

Brandelyn discovered the Self-Directed Search (SDS) during her graduate studies and was impressed by its ability to match individuals' interests with potential career paths. Taking the SDS showed her possible career options that were in line with her passions and interests, changing her life in the process.

Brandelyn originally thought she did not want to pursue teaching, but as she says, “it is my stride. It is my strength. It is natural to me. Work never feels like work to me, and I love what I do. So, I did end up getting a master's degree in counseling. I became a formal counselor. I worked in elementary schools, high schools, and now I work with high school students helping them go to college.”

Recognizing its potential, she integrated the SDS into the TRiO Upward Bound program's curriculum. The SDS helps students identify careers that align with their interests, rather than just their abilities, providing a more personalized and fulfilling educational experience.

Why the SDS?

As Brandelyn describes, a good student can do anything they set their mind to—but that doesn’t mean that they’ll enjoy it. The SDS takes what the test taker actually likes to do into consideration, rather than simply the things they may be able to do.

Brandelyn has noticed that many students initially pursue specific careers only because it’s what is presented to them. Parents may push their children towards roles that they view as traditionally more respected or high paying, despite that their child may not enjoy that line of work and, in actuality, would enjoy more success in a different field.

“You only can explore a career that you know about. If you don't know about the career, it's hard to explore it. But when we have these clusters now, we can explore careers within this cluster of interest to you, versus just doing something somebody else told you to do because they know that you can have a high-paying career if you're good at it.”

The Results

Since incorporating the SDS into the UB Program, Brandelyn has seen an array of positive effects for students. She’s witnessed a rise in students applying to scholarships and specific opportunities, as well as more students knowing what major or field they want to pursue. Students from the program have won national scholarships, as “a tool like this helps them be more precise in their essays because they know what they want to do.”

It is because of this success that Brandelyn says she will not only continue to have her students use the SDS in the future, but also find new ways to incorporate it into the program. She has already had students use the SDS in projects and presentations, including presentations on a career that appeals to them and what the trajectory of that specific career path would look like. In addition, the students were able to connect with real professionals from each cluster during a career fair, allowing them to ask questions and hear directly from professionals in their associated field.

“When you utilizing a tool such as SDS, you see those results. You see your students line up, you see your students start to connect.”

What’s Next?

The TRIO Upward Bound program at NC A&T State University has successfully leveraged the SDS to empower students and align their educational and career goals with their interests. This personalized approach has led to increased student engagement, higher scholarship awards, and overall satisfaction with the program. Brandelyn Hall's innovative use of the SDS serves as a model for other TRiO programs seeking to enhance their support for students.

As far as the future, Brandelyn plans to continue using the SDS to support the TRiO Upward Bound program's mission. She aims to expand the use of the SDS to more staff members, ensuring that all students receive consistent and comprehensive guidance. The program will also explore new ways to integrate the SDS into its curriculum, particularly during the summer months when there is more time for in-depth career exploration. 

Customer Success Story - SDS - TRiO Upward Bound Program

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