To assist their transition to college life, 14 TRIO Upward Bound Gadsden Independent School District/Las Cruces Public Schools Program students at New Mexico State University participated in the Aggie Bridge program this summer. The Class of 2022 cohort lived in Garcia Hall on campus while taking six to eight credits and completing an internship.
“This program is the culmination of the entire reason for TRIO Upward Bound as they are transitioning to college,” said Rosa De La Torre-Burmeister, TRIO Upward Bound GISD/LCPS Program director. “In addition to the classroom experience, they are also obtaining work values and ethics through an internship partnership.”
Students interned with Sodexo, where they worked at Taos restaurant in Corbett Center Student Union with different divisions of dining services and shadowed leadership.
“Our goals were to introduce students to our inclusive community and help them learn different aspects of campus life along with dining service exposure,” said Ryan Vanderwall, NMSU Integrated Services associate director. “Ultimately, this opportunity provided the student with a direct connection to NMSU while attaining hospitality and culinary skills.
“Our team sincerely hopes that our students learn to build connections, hospitality skills and overall feel confident to succeed in anything they set their mind to,” Vanderwall said.
De La Torre-Burmeister said she was proud of the campus partnerships established to help students prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
“They are not only teaching them and developing their skillsets but also caring for them,” she said.
To learn more about the programs, visit https://trioub.nmsu.edu/.