College Possible Initiative
APSU has partnered with College Possible to provide our students with near-peer coaching support on a yearly basis. College Possible has refined its near-peer coaching model using a research-based curriculum and is now a national leader in college success programming. Our dedicated near-peer coaches guide and support students on their path to and through college, making College Possible students three times more likely to earn their degrees than their peers.
What it means to have a Success Coach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coaches are near-peer mentors that have recently graduated from APSU. They are here to help you with one thing: to graduate with a degree. They are your number one advocate and can help you with any problem you might face. If things are going great, they can help you invest in yourself and your future!
Austin Peay provide near peer coaches to facilitate a successful transition to college which impacts your academic success, achievement, and degree completion. This program focuses primarily on supporting first-generation and/or students eligible for Pell grants who face unique challenges when transitioning to college and achieving degree completion.
As much as you need! At a minimum, coaches try to meet with their students once a month to check in and see how things are doing. That being said, you are definitely not limited to how many times you can meet with your coach.
While coaches often collaborate with advisors, we differ in a lot of areas. Advisors focus on registration, university paperwork, and academic related business. Your coach is here to support you holistically – both inside and outside the classroom. Topics often discussed beyond academic success is personal well-being and financial success.
If you have a coach, you will receive an email from them towards the beginning of the semester or academic year. You can also check on your OneStop Advising Page. Coaches have indicated to their students on the Advising notes section of the OneStop Advising page who their assigned coach is and how to contact their coach.
Coaches can provide a broad range of resources to cover a broad set of needs. If classes are going perfectly and you are already involved on campus, then your coach can help you with things like organizing your time to make things less stressful, or help you set goals and achieve them so that your college experience is fulfilling.
This is still a new program at Austin Peay so, unfortunately, not everyone can have a coach yet. While we would love to proactively reach out and help as many students as possible, we do not have enough coaches to do so. However, we plan on expanding in the future to support more students.
College Possible Success Coaches
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Brooke Gibson Brooke Gibson is a first year Student Success College Possible Coach. She recently graduated in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Organizational Administration and minors in Psychology and Communication. During her time as an undergraduate student at Austin Peay, she was very involved on campus. She has previously worked on campus for the department of Information Technology, was a Peer Leader in UNIV 1000, and worked as a Resident Assistant. She is excited to meet students and assist them through their college experience. |
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Demetrius Hobbs Demetrius S. Hobbs began serving as a Student Success Coach in the Fall of 2022 but previously worked on campus with Austin Peay’s newspaper, The Allstate. Demetrius graduated from Austin Peay State University in December 2021 with a Bachelor's in Engineering Technology. Demetrius is passionate about assisting students on campus and navigating challenges and successes that come with their college careers. |
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Hayley Roddy Hayley Roddy began serving as a Student Success Coach in the Fall of 2022. She graduated from Austin Peay in May 2022 with a B.S. in Health and Human Performance. Before serving for College Possible, Hayley was only a recent attendee of Austin Peay after transferring to the institution to pursue a new degree route. With a desire to further serve the university after having spent a short time period of her academic career at Austin Peay, Hayley applied to be a Student Success coach to be able to help students get the most of their college experience. |
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Olivia McClendon Olivia McClendon began serving as a Success Coach in Fall 2021. During her time as an undergraduate student, Olivia was very involved on Austin Peay’s campus. She served as a Peer Leader for UNIV 1000, Vice President of French Club, holds membership in several organizations throughout campus, and participated in the Spain study abroad program in Summer 2019. These experiences culminated a rich knowledge of Austin Peay resources that Olivia is excited to share with students as she helps them transition into collegiate life. She graduated Cum Laude in May 2021 with a B.A. in Foreign Language and minors in Spanish, International Studies and Leadership Science. In August 2022, she began pursuing a Masters certificate in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program at Austin Peay State University. |
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Jontae Rice Jontae Rice began serving as a Student Success Coach in the Fall of 2023, but has worked in the Housing department years prior. Jontae graduated from Austin Peay in August 2022 with a Bachelor's in Communications and a minor in History. He is excited to help assist students through the obstacles that may come throughout their college careers. |
Interested in becoming a College Possible Success Coach?
We are glad that you are interested in joining us as a Success Coach at Austin Peay! As a Success Coach, you would be serving as an AmeriCorps member through College Possible, a nationally recognized non-profit. As a near-peer mentor, Success Coaches support a diverse cohort of students in earning their degree.
We are looking for applicants who have recently earned a 4-year degree. Ideal applicants will have demonstrated leadership skills, academic achievement, and a commitment to supporting students.
Join us at an Interest Session
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February 22nd. Q&A with the coaches. 12:30pm-1:30pm: UC 307
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February 28th. Q&A with the coaches. 12:30pm-1:30pm: UC 307
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February 29th. Virtual Q&A with the coaches. 3pm (Link to come)
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March 25th. APSU Career Fair, 10am-2pm: UC Ballroom
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March 26th. APSU Career Fair, 5pm-7pm : UC Ballroom
What is Americorps?
Benefits of Serving
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Professional Development - You will learn several new marketable skills, tools, and programs. You will also take on leadership responsibilities and learn to work collaboratively with other professionals.
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Networking Opportunities - As a Student Success Coach, you will encounter multiple opportunities to work directly with your Program Lead, College Possible Program Advisor, and APSU's faculty and staff.
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Education Award - Student Success Coaches are allotted after a term of service of 12 months an educational award of $7,395. This award can either be used to pursue future educational endeavors or repay federal student loans.
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Health Coverage - Student Success Coaches are provided health coverage. Details can be provided upon request.
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Loan Forbearance - Those who serve have the opportunity to forbear most federal loans. This would allow the coach to not make payments on qualified loans.
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Housing - Student Success Coaches at Austin Peay are provided on-campus housing, which includes Wi-Fi access, utilities, and the advantage of a short commute to their office.
