1997 Bridge Program awards

Technology News, Volume 144 Issue 3, February 16, 1998

By: Cheryl Caplan, Director. ETC

Web format and photo @ by Prof. P. Johnson

Participants in the Summer 1997 Bridge Program gathered at the Educational Technology Center last Thursday night for a reunion and scholarship awards ceremony. Over pizza and cookies, students and program staff socialized and listened to some lame jokes told by Professor Peter Johnson, IIT-AMP Director.

The gathering also provided the opportunity to award scholarships to four Bridge Program participants who distinguished themselves in the fall 1997 semester by achieving a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 and above. The top scholarship award was presented to Emily Seidel (ENVE), who has a perfect 4.0 GPA. Emery Jordan (CPE) and Neshamah Miller (CHE) tied for second place awards and Eloisa Medina (CHE) received the third place award. The scholarships were provided by the NSF Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP) partnership

IIT's Summer Bridge program is an intensive seven-week transition program that helps acclimatize minority students to a majority campus and provides an academic head start on the freshman year. Emery Jordan credits the program with helping him get acquainted with some of the IIT faculty and their teaching styles, as well as with the campus and its facilities.

He also says the Bridge program gave him the opportunity to "make friends who'd be going through the same struggles I would be going through."

We are extremely proud of the twenty 1997 Bridge participants, sixty-seven percent of whom had GPA's of 3.0 or better after the fall semester. Arthur Anderson (CHE) says the program prepare him for IIT's demanding curriculum. "I was ranked in the top 5% of my high school gradualding class. I was well rounded in both academics and extracurricular activities and I really though I was ready for college. Now, I know better. Bridge prepared me for the rigorous academics and course load here. If it weren't for Bridge I don't know where I would be now."

The Bridge program is conducted by Dr. Peter Johnson, Department of BCPS, and Cheryl Caplan, Director of ETC and coordinated with the Multicultural Programs and Admissions Offices. IIT has offered a Bridge program since 1984.

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