This year’s Summer Bridge Program—which helps first-year students smoothly transition to college, and was generously funded by the Aronson Family Foundation—was an unmitigated success on all counts. Over 1,300 incoming first-year students signed up for the program (with 51 percent of the students identifying as Latinx) and 25 professors participated in the events. The program took place from August 16 through August 24, over seven days, with both asynchronous and synchronous options available to fit students’ busy schedules. “We knew we had to prepare students to navigate the fall semester on all modalities—in-person, hybrid, and online,” says Nancy Yang, Associate Director of First Year Programs. “The Summer Bridge Program helped students connect with their classmates, Peer Success Coaches, and First-Year Program staff. We introduced the students to in-person and online campus resources, and we kickstarted their exploration of justice in our ‘From Justice Talk to Justice Walk’ event series.” Students also had the opportunity to improve their technological skills on platforms such as Blackboard, Slack, and Zoom, with “gamified” digital activities and fun raffle prizes. In this “Summer Bridge Success” article series, we connected with students who attended the program to learn more about their first-year, summer-to-fall transition.

Anna Morin ’25, a Forensic Psychology major with dreams of joining the FBI, was truly concerned about one thing coming to John Jay College—making new friends. “I was born and raised in the state of Maine and moved to New York City for school a couple of weeks before classes at John Jay started,” says Morin. “I didn’t know anyone here, especially my fellow students, so I was worried about meeting new people.” After attending just a few days of the Summer Bridge Program, those fears quickly disappeared.

What drew you to John Jay College?
I was drawn to John Jay because of how unique it is. I knew I wanted to be involved in criminal justice, so while researching schools, John Jay stood out above all the others. Because it’s a school focused around criminal justice, it makes it the perfect place to set myself up for success, learn more about the topics that interest me, and meet other students with similar interests. I know that John Jay can provide me with the experiences and knowledge I need to thrive in my future career.

Before you came to John Jay and experienced the Summer Bridge Program, what were some of your biggest concerns about starting school this fall?
I didn’t know anyone here, so I was really worried about meeting new people. I was also concerned about how to balance all my classes in the era of Covid. Learning to balance online, hybrid, and in-person classes seemed like it would be a steep learning curve, and I was worried it would affect my performance in classes.

What key information did you learn at the Summer Bridge Program that you think will benefit you throughout your academic career?
The Summer Bridge Program taught me how to use some vital technology, such as Blackboard, John Jay email, Zoom, and different websites and programs. I was very thankful for that, especially since it was taught in such a clear and concise way. We were also taught different tips and tricks on how to keep our schedules organized, which I really took to heart. I had never been a student who used a planner, but now I really rely on one to keep all my due dates organized.

The Summer Bridge Program encouraged students to interact with each other and to interact with faculty members. Students used Slack to keep in touch with one another, and we still use it to share social media, stay updated on important events, and interact with those in our freshman seminar classes. As someone who was really concerned about making new friends, I was very thankful that this program encouraged us to talk about ourselves and get to know each other. As for faculty members, at first, I was very intimidated to interact with them. Luckily, the Summer Bridge Program set up a meet-and-greet style Zoom session with some of the professors. They talked with us about their experiences in school, let us ask them questions, and overall made us feel so much more comfortable.

Can you describe your favorite experiences in the program?
That would have to be the virtual escape room event. The hosts grouped students together to work through an “escape room” together by answering trivia and using the knowledge we had gained from the previous day’s workshop. My group had fun with it, answering the trivia questions as fast as possible in hopes of winning against the other teams. Something about being able to see each other, make jokes, and laugh together really made me feel like I was a part of a great community.

How have your first few weeks of classes been?
My first few weeks have gone great. I love all my professors, and you can tell that they love what they do. It’s always great to have a professor that’s enthusiastic about the subject that they teach, it makes it so much more interesting to learn. Adjusting to being more of a self-guided learner rather than a high school student has been a bit of a challenge, but making so many new friends has really helped.

I was so scared of what it would be like adjusting to college—especially one in an area I was pretty unfamiliar with, and people that I didn’t know—but the Summer Bridge Program set me up for success. It helped bring students closer together and it taught us the essentials. I actually bragged to my friends in other colleges about the program because they kept telling me how lost they felt as their classes were beginning. I’m incredibly thankful for this program.