SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM
Summer Bridge – Providing Access to Success There are many students in the high schools of Manatee and Sarasota counties whose families are not oriented to a college education and have not instilled in their children the prospect of attending any higher education institution. The Summer Bridge Program at Manatee Community College is changing that for a growing number of young people. The first students entered the pilot program in the summer of 2002 . The success of these students has created the desire to expand the program so that every student with the desire for a college education can overcome obstacles and be successful in their college career.
The Summer Bridge Program provides unique assistance to under-prepared. low-income, first generation-in-college high school seniors. In the intensive six-week summer program, 25 students from Manatee and Sarasota counties come to campus to become familiar with a college environment and be better prepared to pursue a college education. Students who might not have considered college because they lacked the role models, the finances, and/or the understanding of how to navigate an unfamiliar system, “graduate” from the Bridge Program with self-confidence, college survival skill sets, and support – providing them with true access to success. Private funds raised for the Summer Bridge Program help offset costs for tuition, books, supplies and faculty salaries. All non-scholarship gifts to the program are eligible for a 66.67% match with the State of Florida matching program.
