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Champion Orientation

Together, we make the journey better! The College-to-Career journey, though distinct and often challenging, becomes not only manageable but enjoyable when we walk it supported by a Circle of Champions. When we come together as a team, we harness the collective strength, creativity, and resilience that each member brings. Together, we can overcome obstacles, achieve our goals, and savor the triumphs along the way.

 

The following resources will help you start your Circle of Champions journey as a new Champion.

Guidelines for Success

1.

Receive and Respond to Circle of Champions Communications As a Champion, you will receive communications from your student, your student's coach, other Champions, and possibly other personnel involved in the program. We will keep the volume of communications light knowing you have other time commitments. It is important that you respond to the communications, especially those sent to you from your student or student's coach. If you have questions about the program, you can explore the program website at www.myCircleofChampions.com. In particular, visit the Help pages at the site to find information and people who can assist you.

2.

Join the Circle of Champions Network Most Champions receive their first communication about the Circle of Champions as a nomination/invitation from their student. Others become champions by volunteering and being assigned to a student. Through the nomination process, you are invited to register as a Champion through the email or text. As a volunteer, you must register at www. myCircleofChampions.com. The Circle of Champions Network places emphasis on user privacy (especially student privacy), information security, and network reliability. These are the primary reasons we require a log-in to your private pages.

3.

Develop and Maintain "My Profile" For us to communicate effectively with you, we need you to develop and maintain your profile information. For Champions, we only require light information. Most of the profile information is collected during the registration process. If your contact information changes while you are in the program, it is important that you update this in your profile.

4.

Engage with Your Student(s) and Other Champions in Your Circle As a Champion, the most import thing you will do is engage with and support your student(s). Very often this will be as simple as showing empathy and extending support. You may show this support individually with your student(s) or you may support your student(s) in collaboration with the other Champions in your Circle. We typically recommend that you do this in collaboration with the other Champions. On a regular basis (monthly-ish), you should receive scheduled updates from your student(s). You may also get smaller update here and there. You can always of course initiate conversations with your student(s) by reviewing their profile and sending a note of encouragement. Regardless, staying in regular contact with your student(s) is critical. Showing a consistent belief in your student's ability to complete the College-to-Career Journey is extremely important.

5.

Participate in Circle of Champions Research Ongoing development of the Circle of Champions Network is critical for establishing equity across higher education. With this in mind, we are partnering with UCLA and University of Pennsylvania to conduct an ongoing assessment of the Network, how it impacts student success and what needs to be developed to optimize the impact on marginalized students. As part of the research process, you may be asked to answer survey questions, participate in interviews, or similar activities. Also, the research includes assessment of communications and activity across the Circle of Champions Network. Your participation in this effort will help improve your experience and the experience of future students and future Champions.

6.

Protect Student Privacy and Confidentiality You may want to "brag" about your student's progress, especially if they are doing well. For example, you may want to post something on your social media account about your student that other family members will see. This is a good practice. It will help your student feel supported. Your student has already provided consent for you to share their progress information. With that said, we recommend that you use caution and exercise discretion before sharing any of the following information: grades, grade point average (GPA), student schedules, student contact information, Social Security numbers, and student ID numbers. Rather than specifically mentioning these confidential items in public, you should think about making more general statements. For example, instead of say you are proud of your student for maintaining a 3.1 GPA, you may want to say you are proud of your student maintaining good grades.

7.

Learn About the College-to-Career Process/Journey Most of our Champions did not attend college themselves and may have questions about the College-to-Career Journey. We have established a number of resources for you to help learn about a range of topics. Some include: 1) How to choose a major; 2) How to pay for college; 3) How to find your first career job; 4) How to develop a transfer plan; and more. It is import to realize you do NOT need to be an expert in these areas to support and inspire your student, but familiarity with them may help as you communicate with your student. To make this learning as easy as possible, we provide a range of resources. You can contact your student's Coach, read responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs), watch informational videos, and chat with our virtual assistants 24/7. You will find these resources peppered throughout myCircleofChampions.com. The central location for all help resources can be found on the Help page at myCircleofChampions.com.

Circle of Champions Overview

Student Testimonial

Gavilan College and the Circle of Champions

Sign-up

Ready to jump in? Ready to become a Champion in your student's College-to-Career Journey? Go to the Join page now!

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