Student Success Coach in Lakewood, Washington

The Pierce College Student Success Coach (SSC) works to advance the equity-centered mission of Pierce College through a purposeful focus on serving marginalized students and a commitment to Black and Brown Excellence. This includes relational engagement to close college access gaps and areas of inequity to increase retention, degree completion, university transfer, and workforce readiness. This position will collaborate closely with Pierce College’s Student Engagement Services team to support student engagement and belonging.

Within the context of a Guided Pathways framework, the Student Success Coach will engage in culturally sustaining practices that center racial equity in order to remove barriers and support students in successfully navigating their Pierce College experience. This role offers guidance and fosters connections with students to explore their interests and needs, create a Graduation Plan, and enhance the strategies, skills, and confidence necessary for personal and community growth and achievement. 

This role reports to the Director of Advising and Advocacy, requires regular and consistent attendance, and is eligible for up to two (2) days of remote work per week upon completion of training.

The Student Success Coach will be responsible for the following but not limited to:

Advising Caseload Management:

• Provide culturally appreciative advising case management services to advance the engagement and success of marginalized and minoritized students.
• Create an atmosphere for students to feel affirmed, empowered, and valued.
• In a culturally responsive and sustaining manner, support and guide students through their educational journey, exploring past educational experiences and trauma, identifying cultural/racialized barriers to success, and support dismantling and/or navigating barriers to program completion, including appropriate referrals to internal and external partners.
• Collaborate with internal and external funding sources to assist students through the funding options and processes.
• Collaborate with students and colleagues to support student development of career goals, career pathway maps, understanding course/degree requirements, and explore opportunities.
• Partner with colleagues to connect students to culturally sustaining engagement opportunities.
• Partner with students to develop rapport, respect, and trust relationships via multiple communication modalities.

Assessment and Coaching: 

• Partner with students to identify initial strengths and challenges in academic, career, and personal pathways by identifying factors impacting academic progress.
• Examine alternatives based on changing goals, academic progress, and unique needs, and interpret analytics to guide and empower students to establish academic and career goals.
• Provide expertise within career pathways including helping students select a career pathway program and guiding students to exploration and engagement opportunities.
• Use caseload analysis tools in a culturally sustaining manner to frequently and intentionally identify and guide students at critical moments and in greatest need.
• Evaluate unofficial transfer credits to assist students with enrollment, short- and long-term planning, and funding source approvals.
• Partner with evaluations and job and career connections team to support students through the graduation process, including an official graduation evaluation, transfer preparation, and career entry.
• Promote removal of degree/program completion barriers by assisting students in requesting Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL) Assessments and connecting them with appropriate faculty for interview and evaluation.

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