The Power of Strengthening Supports
Arantxa Hernández Santana came to PCC with lingering uncertainty about navigating college as a first-generation student. That changed when she connected with First-Year Experience program coach Andrea Chacon.
Arantxa Hernández Santana
“The First-Year Experience didn’t just help me find resources — it gave me the confidence to believe I could succeed.”
Arantxa Hernández Santana is a First-Year Experience student pursuing an Oregon Transfer degree at PCC with plans to study social work and family law. She is passionate about helping make sure children have the advocacy and support they need.
I was scared to start school again because deep down, I felt like I had failed. I started at Walla Walla University after high school but left after one semester, overwhelmed by the financial challenges. Even though my dad reassured me we could figure it out, I have two younger brothers and didn’t want to burden my family.
I then spent a year at home working as a teacher’s aide. In Fall 2024, I started classes at PCC. Being a first-generation college student, navigating all the college systems and expectations was daunting. But the First-Year Experience program and my coach, Andrea Chacon, changed that. I would have been lost without her.
When I couldn’t pay my tuition, Andrea sat with me, helped me contact financial aid, and connected me to a scholarship. She also helped me build my résumé, encouraged me to join clubs like tennis, and constantly reminded me I wasn’t alone.
That sense of empowerment also led me to reflect on where I come from and what drives me.
My parents moved to the States from Mexico when I was four months old. They’ve always been my biggest inspiration, teaching me to be grounded, self-aware, and to help others.
My dream is to pursue social work and eventually law school to practice family law. Working as a teacher’s aide showed me how badly kids need advocates. I want to be the person who listens, protects, and ensures their voices are heard. My parents taught me that struggles can be overcome — and I’m determined to turn that lesson into action by standing up for others.
Andrea Chacon
“The most rewarding part of being a coach is knowing that even small acts of support, like taking one thing off a student’s plate, can make a huge difference.”
Andrea Chacon is a coach with PCC’s First-Year Experience program, where she supports students in navigating the transition to college. She is passionate about connecting students to resources, building their confidence, and ensuring they feel welcome and supported.
As a First-Year Experience coach, I sometimes meet students who are ready to give up. One student came to me feeling completely lost in political science — unsure about the assignments, disconnected from the material, and on the verge of dropping the class.
Together, we worked through the situation step by step. I was able to understand what they needed and what the instructor was requesting. By the end of the term, the student had gained clarity about their grades, found support through tutoring, and passed the class. Even better, they carried those lessons into the next term. That’s the power of the First-Year Experience program.
Support from coaches is very flexible. Students can text, email, hop on a Zoom, or drop in without an appointment.That makes reaching out easy, especially for first-time-in-college students who might not know where to begin.
I deeply admire the drive I see in my students. When challenges come up, they don’t give up. They find a way, they ask for help, and they keep moving forward.
Support for the First-Year Experience program comes from a powerful community of partners and supporters, including Meyer Memorial Trust and Brigid Flanigan.
Michael Reyes Andrillón
“At Meyer Memorial Trust, we value PCC’s commitment to inclusive excellence and know that supporting students early sets them up for greater success.”
Michael Reyes Andrillón is a senior program officer at Meyer Memorial Trust, where he advances racial, social, and economic justice across Oregon. His work focuses on expanding access to education and opportunity. Meyer has supported PCC since 1985 and was a founding partner in launching Future Connect in 2012 and scaling the First-Year Experience program in 2024.
At Meyer Memorial Trust, we believe education is worth safeguarding — especially in a time when its value is being questioned. For many students, the barriers to college can be high. Yet we know the transformative role that higher education can play.
That’s why PCC’s First-Year Experience is so important. It goes beyond helping students navigate the system; it reshapes the system itself to be more inclusive and supportive, ensuring students are set up for success.
As a longtime partner in PCC’s Future Connect program, we’ve witnessed the impact of centering first-generation students and advancing educational equity. Building on that success, the First-Year Experience scales those learnings to support more students during the critical transition to college, when they are most at risk of getting lost in the process.
Through the First-Year Experience program, we’re investing in a future where higher education doesn’t just serve some students — it’s ready to serve them all.
Brigid Flanigan
“Because of my father, I saw firsthand how an investment in a student’s future can transform their life.”
Brigid Flanigan is the founder and principal of Tenfold Senior Living, where she has created senior living retirement communities since 1992. She has been a steadfast partner to PCC since 2015, supporting the Future Connect program and the launch of the First-Year Experience program. She has been on the PCC Foundation Board of Trustees since 2024.
Whenever I meet a PCC student in the First-Year Experience program, I am amazed by their personal strength, optimism, and determination to create big plans for themselves.
The importance of philanthropy was instilled in me at a young age. My father, a banker in New York, created a program in the 1970s to fund the tuition of high school students with limited income and match them with mentors.
Now that I’m in a position to give back, I’ve committed myself to supporting first-generation students and those with economic challenges in their transition to college.
We live in an age where education and constant skill upgrades are crucial to financial stability and well-being. The First-Year Experience program bridges the gap between the growing demand for education and the barriers students face in accessing it.
Many students juggle jobs, families, and coursework. Having a coach who understands their journey and connects them to PCC resources can mean the difference between persisting and giving up. Success is built step by step, and the First-Year Experience ensures students don’t have to take those steps alone.
Future Connect Sets Students Up For Success
Future Connect is PCC’s nationally recognized college success program, providing scholarships, career guidance, and one-on-one and group coaching to students who are the first in their family to attend college or who have limited resources.
1,054
PCC students served by Future Connect in 2024-25, with 342 first-year students
4,640
Future Connect students served since its founding in 2011
93%
Future Connect students who have limited income
85%
Future Connect participants who are first-generation college students
First-Year Experience Helps That Success Grow
Building on the success of Future Connect, PCC launched the First-Year Experience to extend these supports to thousands more first-time-in-college students. FYE provides coaching, mentoring, and resources that strengthen belonging, improve retention, and reduce debt — ensuring more students can thrive in their first year and beyond.
1,931
FYE students served in 2024-25
5,000
Expected number of FYE students served in 2025-26
89%
FYE students who accessed a PCC resource or service due to information from FYE
91%
FYE students who say the program made them feel welcome at PCC