Photo caption: Kalamazoo Valley Community College debuted its Valley Advantage summer college preparatory program last year to great results.

Due to overwhelming success, Kalamazoo Valley Community College is once again inviting graduating high school seniors and adult learners to a FREE three-week summer program called Valley Advantage.

Students who attend can earn up to $550 for participating and–new this year–can receive a $500 scholarship if they enroll in at least three credit hours for the Fall 2024 semester at Kalamazoo Valley.

Valley Advantage focuses on what is needed to start college in the fall and is designed to help students build confidence and navigate college. The state-funded program is intended to counteract learning loss among recent high school graduates who experienced interruptions to in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A high school diploma or GED is the only requirement.

During this three-week program, students will:

• Boost their skills in reading, writing, and mathematics
• Explore college resources
• Learn valuable life skills and success strategies
• Engage in team-building exercises

The Valley Advantage offers:

• Opportunity to earn up to $550
• Assistance with transportation costs (gas card/bus tokens)
• Loaner laptop computer
• Weekly Valley Food Share box
• Classroom supplies
• Breakfast or lunch each day
• Kalamazoo Valley swag
• End-of-program celebration

Program Director Louis Thomas hopes to build off last year’s successes with this summer’s students.

“Students gained the confidence they needed to feel comfortable taking the next steps in their educational journey. By the end of the three weeks, you could see a difference,” Thomas said. “I am excited to be able to offer the program again.”

This summer, four sessions are available and space is limited.

SESSION 1
July 8 – 11, July 15 – 18, July 22 – 25, and July 29
8:30 – 11:45 a.m. or 12:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Anna Whitten Hall on the downtown Arcadia Commons Campus

SESSION 2
Aug. 5 – 8, Aug. 12 – 15, Aug. 19 – 23
8:30 – 11:45 a.m. or 12:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Anna Whitten Hall on the downtown Arcadia Commons Campus

Eighty-five percent of students who participated in last summer’s program enrolled in fall semester classes at the college. As part of the program, those students were assigned completion coaches who provided individualized support to help students address academic and non-academic challenges and connect with appropriate campus and community resources. Seventy-five percent of those students completed the semester with a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

These successes were highlighted in a case study on academic catch-up programs by the Michigan Community College Association. Kalamazoo Valley was one of three institutions–out of more than 30 Michigan community colleges–to be featured in the study. Register now at kvcc.edu/valleyadvantage.

ABOUT KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Established in 1966, Kalamazoo Valley Community College offers certificate programs in more than 50 areas of study and associate degrees in 60 others. These include business, healthcare, human and public service, and technical occupations, culinary arts and brewing training. The college has four Kalamazoo, Michigan locations, including the Texas Township Campus, the Groves Campus, the Arcadia Commons Campus, and the Bronson Healthy Living Campus. Classes are available during the day, evening, online, and weekends. Learn more at kvcc.edu.