Since the summer of 1990, the Academic S.T.A.R.S. (Students Achieving and Reaching for Success) Program has been offered at Kent State University.
The E. Timothy Moore Student Multicultural Center oversees the program, which supports the successful transition of first-year students of color into the university. It focuses on their academic, personal, social and cultural development, building community with peers, faculty and staff, and engaging with resources to ensure their success.
The program was born from Kent State’s efforts to recruit and retain new African American first-year students from the Cleveland and Akron areas. In 1995, it expanded to include all admitted African American students within the university, and in 2009, the program grew to include Latinx and Native American students.
“The program empowered me to believe in myself, that I could accomplish whatever my goals were, that I could make it through whatever it is I wanted to do in life,” Najah Wilson, BSN ’20, said. “It also gave me a sense of community and people to rely on.”
Wilson participated in the program in 2016 and said it helped her transition into college because it showed her what was expected of her as a student and helped her understand the effort it would take to complete her classes.
She met other nursing students in the S.T.A.R.S. program and mentioned they stuck together while completing their college degrees.
The Academic S.T.A.R.S. Program occurs during the summer, and students can earn six free college credits, participate in workshops, connect with peers through activities, and participate in Rites of Passage programs. During the academic year, they also participate in workshops and connect with their peers.
Wilson described the program as empowering. “It allows students to look back at their history and roots, and it gives them a sense of power and understanding of who they are,” she said. “When you know who you are and understand your power as a person in this world, you are not afraid to pursue your passions and dreams.”
She mentioned her most memorable experience was going through the Rites of Passage and feeling a connection to her African roots. “[It] gave me the strength I needed to continue my journey,” she said.
Wilson mentioned the Moore Center (formerly the SMC) helped her prepare for her post-graduate life by providing her with the skills she needed to be successful in the world and described the center as her home during college. Wilson has worked as a cardiovascular nurse since 2020. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2021 to continue her nursing career at Sunrise Healthcare Systems.
In the program, students learn more about their culture as an African American, Latinx, Native American, or Multi-Race identifying individuals. Currently, it is the only Academic S.T.A.R.S. Program left in the United States.
“It’s hard to sum up everything I learned about the African culture, but the primary thing is understanding that we are descendants from the strongest of the strongest people,” Wilson said. “Our ancestors were Africans first, not slaves.”
For more information about the Academic S.T.A.R.S. Program, email program coordinator Alice Fermaintt (afermain@kent.edu).