The roundtable event centered conversations around the following:聽 Family & Community Engagement, Funding & Development, and Programming. 聽

Following such a challenging year, these small group conversations were designed to give professionals a space to discuss challenges and success in pivoting from a 鈥渘ormal鈥� operating year through the programmatic impact of COVID-19.聽 With more than 30 attendees, the event had representation from the following college access and success organizations:聽

• Wake Forest Pre-College Programs (Winston Salem)
• Crosby Scholars Program (Winston-Salem)
• Durham Children鈥檚 Initiative
• UNC Greensboro
• N.C. A&T Student Support Services
• N.C. Community Colleges
• Say Yes Guilford
• N.C. State University

At the conclusion of the event, attendee Chantal Fleming (NCAT) shared 鈥渢his is a form of self-care.鈥� While others expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to simply, be in company with individuals, who share the same experiences and challenges in their work.

Attendees left energized and hopeful for more opportunities to connect again. The organizers 鈥� Princess King (Elon Academy), Bianca Lambert (Student U Durham), Donell Moore (Emily K Center), Kiara Aranda (Emily K Center), and Derrick Beasley (Student U Durham) 鈥� hope that this coalition will lead to further collaborative opportunities between colleagues and possibly grow the initiative into a mini conference for local college access and success professionals in the future.

The Summit, an idea stemmed from an introductory meeting with partner organization Student U-Durham, aimed to build partnerships and engage attendees in conversation surrounding college access. Organized by Elon Academy Assistant Director of College Success Princess King, this initiative aimed to provide a space for local college access professionals to share experiences and resources for improved support for first-generation college students and their families.

Modeled after the Ed Camp 鈥渦n-conference鈥� format, summit participants engaged in small-group conversations around six topics selected by attendees including:聽recruitment and retention, supporting second- and fourth-year college students, mental health support, building alumni networks, supporting families, and college partnerships. The 鈥淯n-conference鈥� model is driven by spontaneity, minimal structure聽and organic dialogue.

Among those in attendance were representatives from the following college access organizations: Emily K. Center, Student-U Durham, Education Talent Search & Upward Bound at NC A&T State University, TRiO Programs of UNC Greensboro, Say YES Guilford, Crosby Scholars Program (Iredell County), LatinxEd (Chapel Hill), and Wake Forest Pre-College Programs (Winston Salem).

Summit-goers left energized, inspired聽and motivated to implement future programmatic ideas. The summit encouraged potential co-sponsored programs between several organizations including a combined Transition to College Retreat with Elon Academy, Student U, and the Emily K. center to take place in summer 2019.

鈥淢y goal was to produce an event that provided local college access professionals an opportunity to work together, share ideas, and build collegial relationships between organizations; I hope this is something we can continue on an annual basis,鈥� King said. The Tri-Area College Access Summit was an immense success and tentatively scheduled to be hosted by the Emily K. Center of Durham in 2020.