At American Career College-Orange County, Maria Adame wears multiple hats as an academic retention specialist. While she spearheads fun campus events, she also serves as a valuable resource for students, offering invaluable support in tackling the obstacles they face on their academic path.
“The student is having some type of challenge that's kind of stopping them and putting a roadblock for them to continue their academic goal," he said. "And in my role, I step in, I connect with the student, and I provide some type of resource or assistance to kind of help them navigate that challenge that they're experiencing so that they're able to continue.”
Besides helping students deal with challenges stemming from the classroom, Adame said she often fields questions regarding transportation, childcare, professional counseling services, community volunteering, or any other concerns.
"Most of the time, they come to us when they're about to give up, and then we're there to let them know, 'I hear you, I see you, I understand what you're going through, but hey, look, there's this little window. Let's look out through it together,'" she said. "Once they see that there is some light, we help them push through, and they get to their finish point."
And while she enjoys the good times at student appreciation rallies, Adame said she takes the most pride in helping students develop and transform into better citizens, dynamic leaders, and individuals who are guided by integrity.
"When you're here, you have that ability to learn what you're really great at, and you have a community of people that are always willing to help you build on those skill sets," she said. "So, you're growing as a person, you're learning new things, you're becoming more of a better version of yourself professionally when you're here, and it's all in an environment that you feel safe to do so, and you feel embraced, and you feel like you belong."
Back to News
