Partnership between USF and SPC continues in spite of the pandemic

Despite Covid-19, time is marching on, and for Pinellas County high school students that means graduation is getting closer every day. Those who want to go on to college – especially if they’re the first in their families to do so – may not know where to begin.

That’s where the Pinellas Access to Higher Education (PATHe) program comes in. The program, which started in 2018 as a partnership between St. Petersburg College and the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, is aimed at expanding education access and helping local students who want to earn a college degree. Students enrolled in PATHe will get assistance applying to SPC, where they can earn their Associate’s Degree. Then, they’ll be able to seamlessly transfer to USF’s St. Pete campus.

In light of the pandemic, the initiative might be more important now than ever.

“I’ve spoken with a lot of parents and they’re generally overwhelmed,” said Sandy DeCarlo, a PATHe counselor based on USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “I think they’re really concerned about how to advise their children and either they don’t have experience themselves, or their experience is pretty outdated because things are so different now. Finding resources to be able to get accurate information is a real challenge these days, especially with Covid.”

This year, 16 students have enrolled in PATHe, with applications still being accepted. In addition to guidance on the admissions process, PATHe also provides ongoing support from a team of counselors from both USF and SPC. 

Pre-Covid, counselors would visit local high schools to share information about the program. That changed in March, when classes went virtual. Now counselors conduct weekly virtual sessions to check in with their students, and in August they held a weeklong online session for both parents and students on how to best prepare for college and how to be successful once they get there. They’ve also started an Instagram account, @plan_your_pathe.

Being versatile is key as schools continue to adjust to operating in a virtual environment, and PATHe is ready to meet the challenge, DeCarlo said. 

“We’re basically addressing the schools and all the contacts we made last year and letting them know that we are still here,” DeCarlo said. “We’re willing to adapt how we bring this information based on the schools and what they’re doing.”