First in-person opportunity since 2019 • For recent high school graduates
TRIO Student Support Services at Inver Hills Community College is excited to host Summer Bridge fully in person for the first time since 2019. Summer Bridge is a transitional experience for recent high school graduates who will be new, incoming TRIO SSS students at Inver Hills. Summer Bridge is completely FREE for students.
“Summer Bridge includes workshops and conversations designed to prepare students for college success,” said Matt Kruger, director of TRIO Student Support Services at Inver Hills. “Students participate in outdoors activities and a variety of community-building events. They have opportunities to meet staff, faculty, student mentors, and other students while they get familiar with our campus prior to the start of the fall semester 2022.”
Catima Wilson serves as a TRIO SSS advisor at Inver Hills. Catima reported that Summer Bridge connects recent high school graduates to futures as college students. Summer Bridge is one of her favorite TRIO programming activities.
“The transition between high school and college is so critical and sometimes can be the determining factor as to if students will continue onto higher education or not. I always look forward to the excitement, the courage, and growth of our students during Summer Bridge. I recommend it for all eligible graduates!”
Eligibility for TRIO Summer Bridge
Recent high school graduate (between May 2020 and July 2022) who has never attended college before.
New degree-seeking student at Inver Hills Community College for fall semester 2022
Meet one or more of the TRIO eligibility requirements:
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 • 11 a.m. or 5 p.m.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 • 11 a.m. or 5 p.m.
Meet on campus and get to know our TRIO staff and your fellow students
Learn more about TRIO at Inver Hills
Complete required documents
Review schedule and packing list for the Outdoor Activity Trip to Osprey Wilds
Outdoor Activity Trip
Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. until Friday, July 29, 2022, at approximately 6 p.m.
Earn a free Phy Ed Credit (PHED 2201 Outdoor Activity Sampler) by participating in a variety of fun outdoor activities such as canoeing, high ropes, and rock climbing at Osprey Wilds in Sandstone, Minnesota. Transportation from and returning to Inver Hills, lodging at Osprey Wilds on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and meals throughout the trip are provided.
Inver Hills Experience Week
Monday, August 1, 2022 until Thursday, August 4, 2022 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily
Meet on campus at Inver Hills each day to explore campus and build college success skills. Learn how to be successful in college and connect with staff, faculty, and peers! Lunch is provided from a variety of local restaurants. You will also have the opportunity to meet with your TRIO advisor to review your academic plan, discuss financial aid, apply for jobs and scholarships, or even start discussing transfer plans.
Guthrie Theater Day Trip
Wednesday, August 10, 2022 • 10 a.m. – approximately 3 p.m.
We will travel as a group to downtown Minneapolis, have lunch, and then enjoy a performance of Sweat at the Guthrie Theater. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play confronts issues of race, immigration, and class in an energetic, dramatic story. Transportation from Inver Hills, lunch, and tickets to the play are provided.
TRIO graduate perspectives
Crystal Delich
Crystal with her mom at Inver graduation 2022
Age: 22 Hometown: Mendota Heights, Minnesota Current residence: Mendota Heights Degree earned at Inver Hills: Associate of Arts (A.A.) Inver Hills graduation date: December 2021 Transfer path after Inver: Not sure yet, but I am leaning toward UW–River Falls Career plans: Psychology: school counselor or social worker Scholarships: Page Scholar
Crystal Delich • Q & A
What did you like best about Summer Bridge?
I liked getting to know other students who were also starting the journey of college as me. It was fun to talk with them and play ‘get to know you’ games.
How did TRIO help you succeed at Inver Hills? I was constantly being encouraged and reminded of how I could stay on track by my advisor, Catima. It was hard to fail when someone was continuously rooting for me.
What advice would you give students thinking about participating in TRIO? DO IT! Haha. One of the best decisions/opportunities I have been part of so far on my college journey.
I think community is SO important, and I advise getting involved as much as you can. College can get crazy busy and stressful. It will be normal to feel lonely sometimes and stressed. That’s why it’s important to open up to people about what’s going on in your life, and also have time for some laughs and fun. 🙂 TRIO will help you, giving you the chance to experience all of that.
Crystal TRIO gallery
Emma Kirby
Emma Kirby
Age: 21 Hometown: Eagan, Minnesota Current residence: Eagan Major and degree earned at Inver Hills: Associate of Arts (A.A.) Inver Hills Graduation date: May 2022 Transfer path after Inver: 100 percent online B.A. in Organizational Leadership at the College of St. Scholastica Other degrees, diplomas, certificates: TRIO Completion Recognition Certificate. Career plans: Job/career that involves applying organizational leadership knowledge like in HR or management Scholarships/awards:Civic Scholar, 2022 Campus Compact Presidents’ Leadership Award, Kopp Family Scholarships; Phi Theta Kappa member; graduated with High Honors with a 4.0 GPA
Emma Kirby • Q & A
What did you like best about Summer Bridge? The program took place outside at a Nature Reserve in Sandstone, Minnesota. A lot of the time, the activities were scheduled and even though at times they seemed like fun, they had some kind of underlying purpose.
For example, when we went canoeing, we were the group that went the farthest of any past group. Alicia pointed out that how students persevere through the canoeing challenges will be indicative of how they handle the challenges they face in college.
I did really well in that activity and in a lot of other activities and sure enough, I was pretty successful at Inver Hills. One of my favorite activities we did was the high ropes course. I love climbing and being high off the ground.
The second part of Summer Bridge took place at campus for a week, Monday through Friday. We got to attend a play in Minneapolis, which was fun. We spent most of the program at campus, though, where we did a campus support services “speed dating” activity in which we got to learn about the Inver Hills Library resources and financial aid among others.
We also got tips from a couple of faculty members about how to effectively communicate with our teachers and ways to get involved and be academically successful. There were a couple discussions that had to do with personal identity among other things. The group I was in had a lot of friendly and engaging students and the advisors are awesome!!! They are very good at what they do, and they are funny, friendly, and caring.
How did TRIO help you succeed at Inver Hills? TRIO was a safety net that could catch me if I fell. When I was at orientation registering for my first classes, I was very stressed and overwhelmed. So much so, I got sick a couple times.
Catima noticed this and came up to my mom while I was in the bathroom and suggested that we look into TRIO for supports. If it was not for her, I would not have started out with the same kind of success I did. This shows that the TRIO staff are highly trained to look out for people who are emotionally drowning and need a lifeline.
Which leads to the other thing that helped was the demeanor of the advisors. I felt safe and comfortable going to them with concerns and questions. Knowing I had that support was what helped me find my way through the first part of my college career.
They made the registration process a digestible and reasonable process to go through. After I had help with first two times registering for classes for the next semester, I was able to register on my own, and all I had to do was check with my advisor, Catima, or T (she is awesome!! ?) to make sure I picked the right classes.
What advice would you give students thinking about participating in TRIO? Definitely check it out! I cannot think of a single reason not to join. Know that when/if you do get into TRIO, you will have enough support and care to get you through. Go get help! There are three fantastic advisors who will help you through. Even if your assigned advisor is not available to help you, one of the other two will help. They also provide access to scholarships, activities, and food that are not available to other students.
Come find your community of support! TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) provides academic advising and guidance in the transfer process, plus social and cultural events. If you are planning to graduate from Inver Hills and transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree, TRIO SSS could be a great fit for you.
Why join TRIO SSS?
Make connections.
With TRIO, you’ll get personalized advising and so much more! Find friends and camaraderie; attend social and cultural events. TRIO offers workshops on study skills, financial literacy, time management, and many other topics. You can also take advantage of career planning, major exploration, college transfer planning, and campus visits to four-year institutions.
Activate your .edu email, which is YourStarID@go.minnstate.edu. Use this email for the TRIO online application.
To join TRIO SSS, complete the online application. After you apply, you will receive an email from TRIO staff regarding the next steps to join the program.
