Final Presentation on findings of research

Presentation on findings of research

1. About me Hailing from India Moved to the USA 3 years ago Background in Civil Engineering Business Analyst with a Construction firm Passionate about education space

2. Imagine your first day of college…

3. Research Focus College is a HUGE transition in a student’s life What do the college students wish they had been prepared for during high school to set themselves up for success in college?

4. Why does it matter? Average first year college drop-out rate is 24.1% 26% of dropouts reported academic challenges as the reason 22% of dropouts reported mental health challenges as the reason

5. Research Goals To understand …. How do students feel about their high school education and how well it has prepared them for college? What are some challenges students encounter during high school to college transition? What resources do students need to prepare for college life?

6. Timeline Research Plan 2 weeks Recruiting 2 weeks Contextual Interviews 2 weeks Synthesis 3 weeks Consolidate & Wrap-up 1 week

7. Research Methodology Contextual Interviews 60-90 min First Year/Second Year students in College who went to a public high school

8. Synthesis Process Utterances Themes Insights

9. What did the students have to say?

10. Research Goals To understand …. How do students feel about their high school education and how well it has prepared them for college? What are some challenges students encounter during high school to college transition? What resources do students need to prepare for college life?

11. Second Year student at Santa Clara State University She loves to sing (Carnatic music) and dance(Kuchipudi) Majors: Psychology, Information Systems Ashrita, 19 years old

12. “ There never, ever is like a real-world situation [in high school]. It's always just academically focused. It only helps you as much like academically, because that's all they have to do. School takes away from the actual passion of things. Cause I feel like sometimes like grades and stress behind it can take away from the actual subject and you wouldn't be able to know what you like and dislike. ”

13. Second Year student at Virginia Tech She loves to play soccer and tries baking during free time Major: Hospitality Alexa, 19 years old

14. “ It's almost like you've been thrown into this kind of life that you didn't really feel prepared for . It feels kind of really jarring to go from where you don't really know anything to still not knowing anything, but needing to know it kind of thing. ”

15. Insight High schools focus too much on academics and neglect life skills. Curriculum designers must ensure students are ready for life beyond the classroom.

16. Research Goals To understand …. How do students feel about their high school education and how well it has prepared them for college? What are some challenges students encounter during high school to college transition? What resources do students need to prepare for college life?

17. Incoming First Year Student at Texas A&M She loves to dance, organize and emcee for family events Major: Computer Science Charvi , 18 years old

18. “High school is a lot of drama. People just do stupid things and that would really affect your mental health. I feel that there could be some mentor or counselor to help you deal with life skills, and [provide] some resources on mental health. Like here's how you do conflict resolution, especially because kids do start adulting in high school.”

19. Second Year student at Virginia Tech She loves to play soccer and tries baking during free time Major: Hospitality Alexa, 19 years old

20. “Things like setting a sleep schedule or a schedule of when to eat and what's good for me to eat, then again homework and social aspects. I think it was all just very overwhelming. It was almost like I needed someone to tell me what to do and when to do it, but wasn't the case anymore. So I had to learn when I should tell other people no, or to tell myself no.”

21. Insight Students are left unprepared to balance multiple responsibilities independently, at the mercy of adults who can't handle these complexities themselves.

22. Research Goals To understand …. How do students feel about their high school education and how well it has prepared them for college? What are some challenges students encounter during high school to college transition? What resources do students need to prepare for college life?

23. Second Year student at Whitworth University He loves playing basketball and listens to music for relaxation Major: Biochemistry Daniel , 19 years old

24. “ I feel like it's better if you're getting advice from those that are just even a couple years older than you or a year older than you, just because you're so close in age. Things haven't probably changed as much. It may not be exactly what works for you, but it's basically the closest you can get, because nobody's gonna have the same exact experience as you. They have their own experiences that you might be able to relate to and then fall back and ask them questions. ”

25. Second Year student at UC Santa Cruz She enjoys learning about different cultures and values the independence of college life. Major: Computer Science Fatema, 19 years old

26. “ But if it's something about what I'm struggling with, I don't feel like a teacher or a counselor would really help. And so I reached out to a peer mentor for this program called Mesa. And I reached out to him because he was a fourth year computer science major. And he gave me a bunch of advice. He was like, “you just have to push through, if you really want it, you have to go for it, you have to practice. It's gonna be difficult and you're gonna make a lot of mistakes, but mistakes are a part of the path.” And he really helped me realize that if I really, really want it, anybody can do it and I can do it. “

27. Insight Students rely on peer support because they provide sense of belonging and relatable guidance proving traditional counseling to be obsolete.

28. Bringing it all together

29. Problem Statement Students lack comprehensive support systems that nurture essential life skills and emotional resilience needed to navigate adulthood’s evolving challenges. Without structured guidance that fosters personal growth and adaptability, holistic development will remain an elusive dream for young adults .

30. The design should equip students with practical tools that simulate real-world challenges in a manner that feels relatable and easy to engage with. Design Criteria The design should support students in developing emotional resilience by offering ways to practice without overwhelming them. The design should foster environments where students can naturally share knowledge and experiences, making peer-to-peer support easily accessible and intuitive.

31. Conduct secondary research to refine problem statement Ideate and prototype potential solutions What’s next?

32. Closing thought

33. Thank you

34. High school to College Transition Indulatha Kolli Research & Sensemaking AC4D

35. Students lack comprehensive support to build essential life skills and emotional resilience, leaving them unprepared for adulthood’s evolving challenges. Problem Statement

36. Meet Fatema, She is 19 years old. She enjoys learning about different cultures and values the independence of college life.

37. Students rely on peer support because they provide sense of belonging and relatable guidance proving traditional counseling to be obsolete. Insight

38. “ I feel like it's better if you're getting advice from those that are just even a couple years older than you or a year older than you, just because you're so close in age. Things haven't probably changed as much. It may not be exactly what works for you, but it's basically the closest you can get, because nobody's gonna have the same exact experience as you. They have their own experiences that you might be able to relate to and then fall back and ask them questions. ”

39. “ But if it's something about what I'm struggling with, I don't feel like a teacher or a counselor would really help. And so I reached out to a peer mentor for this program called Mesa. And I reached out to him because he was a fourth year computer science major. And he gave me a bunch of advice. He was like, “you just have to push through, if you really want it, you have to go for it, you have to practice. It's gonna be difficult and you're gonna make a lot of mistakes, but mistakes are a part of the path.” And he really helped me realize that if I really, really want it, anybody can do it and I can do it. “

40. Meet Daniel, He is 19 years old. He plays basketball and listens to music for relaxation

41. Meet Fatema, She is 19 years old. She enjoys learning about different cultures and values the independence of college life.