Creating belonging with Future Connect
Posted by PCC Foundation
Future Connect Manager Suzanne Hesse reflects on what a decade of working with students has taught her:
Creating a sense of belonging has always been at the heart of Future Connect.
I once had a student start the program with a one-month-old baby and unreliable childcare. I invited her to bring her baby to class, and pretty soon, that baby became an honorary student. She made it through that first term knowing her classmates and instructors were on her side. That’s Future Connect to me: we will try to do whatever we can to make college work for you.
Over the years, I’ve learned that no two journeys are the same. What works for one student may not work for another. One of the biggest barriers can be the idea that there is a “normal” way to go to college, or that you should measure your progress against someone else’s.
Our role is to see the whole student and recognize the strengths they already bring. Sometimes the most important thing we can offer a student is someone who listens, helps them find their way, and believes in them.
I remember when one student texted me from the parking lot because she had a flat tire and didn’t know what to do. Of all the people she could have called, she called me. This is what belonging looks like. You know there’s someone you can turn to, whatever comes up.
Over the past 15 years, Future Connect has evolved. We’ve expanded our outreach to high school students across the region and added college success courses, transfer support, and more ways to help students navigate college. What we’ve learned through Future Connect has also helped shape PCC’s First-Year Experience program, bringing early guidance and support to many more new students.
But even as the program has grown, our focus on the individual hasn’t changed. That’s what still excites me about Future Connect. There are so many more student stories to hear and so many possibilities ahead.
Suzanne Hesse began her career as an instructor before joining Future Connect as a coach in 2016. Now as the Future Connect program manager, she leads a team dedicated to helping students succeed.