In its inaugural year, Lakeland Community College’s Begin the Conversation (BTC) program saw success among participants with 11 of the 12 students in the first cohort continuing in the program.

Made possible by funding from The Lakeland Foundation and a three-year grant from KeyBank, BTC is an initiative designed to promote a successful higher education experience for prospective students from low-income and minority populations by providing tuition, wraparound support, mentoring and job training at no financial cost to the students.

The BTC initiative stemmed from a collaboration of Lake County leaders who came together to address race relations and justice in Lake County. The Lakeland Foundation worked with the group to create a BTC program for Lakeland students.

“Throughout the year, our staff worked closely with BTC students offering support and serving as mentors,” explained Lakeland associate provost for student affairs and dean of students Mario Petitti Jr.. “We know the support services Lakeland offers have an impact on the success of students. This program was designed with this in mind, and we are happy to see such positive results from this cohort.”

Students participating in the BTC program during the 2022-2023 academic year earned a total of 162 credit hours and on average achieved a 3.29 grade-point average (GPA). Four students in the cohort earned a 4.0 GPA.

Outside the classroom, BTC students are actively involved on campus as student athletes, ambassadors, alternative spring break participants, members of the honor program, Hispanic club and more.

“Seeing these outcomes after year one is wonderful. We are extremely proud of the students in the program and look forward to continuing to work with them to reach their goals here at Lakeland,” shared Stephanie Brown, associate provost for institutional research and college registrar at Lakeland.

The second BTC cohort will begin fall 2023 and is expected to reach capacity with 20 students. For more information about the BTC program and the wide variety of financial assistance programs available to Lakeland students, visit Lakeland’s financial aid website.

By: Kerry Ann Jonke, Asst Director Market & Communi