This July, ACE member Boston College (BC) welcomed an inaugural class of 110 students to Messina College, an associate degree program for low-income and first-generation students.University leaders say that Messina embodies BC’s founding mission of educating students, primarily from immigrant communities, who other institutions overlooked. Messina targets ambitious students who may need extra structure and academic and financial support to thrive in college.
“While we understand what the barriers are, it’s the students themselves who’ll tear the barriers down,” Erick Berrelleza, Messina’s founding dean, told The Heights, BC’s student newspaper. “So we want to make sure that they’re the agents of their own journey, but we’re setting it up so that they can do really well here.”
Unlike most two-year colleges, Messina is fully residential. Students live and learn on its 50-acre campus in Brookline, Mass., about two miles from BC’s main campus. Messina’s leaders believe that being secluded on their own campus, along with not having to worry about commuting, will help students be less overwhelmed by the adjustment to college and less likely to drop out.
Messina students receive generous financial aid packages that cover their full demonstrated need. Between grants and work-study, most students will pay just $200 per year to attend. BC also covers the cost of health insurance, meal plans, and laptops for those who cannot afford them.
Rochelli Silverio, a freshman at Messina, told BC she was grateful to find a program dedicated to students like her.
“When I heard about Messina College, it was great that it was part of BC, but also for people like me who are first-generation, immigrants, people who might be defined as ‘other.’”
Messina offers four majors: applied data science, applied psychology and human development, general business, and health sciences. Students’ non-major classes align with BC’s core curriculum to make transferring simple. Those who graduate Messina with a 3.4 GPA can automatically transfer to BC.
Students start their first two classes in July. This allows them to take one fewer class during the fall and spring semesters, easing the transition to college. One of the summer courses is a seminar that teaches students about Messina’s curriculum and prepares them for college life.
Berrelleza told The Boston Globe he hopes to create a community where students feel supported and “develop as whole people.”
Messina’s mentorship program is one piece of this. During orientation, the college connects each student with a BC upperclassman who has a similar background.
Relationships with faculty are another piece. With 15-20 students per class, Berrelleza expects that students will grow close with their professors and that professors will look out for signs that students are struggling.
Students can meet with a variety of support staff on Messina’s campus, whether they need academic help, career advice, or spiritual guidance. They also have access to all resources and facilities on BC’s main campus, which they can reach by shuttle.
As they progress through the program, students will take on more responsibilities. In their second year, they will complete an internship or clinical rotation, depending on their major. At the same time, they will take a course to help them articulate the connection between the skills they are gaining and their career goals.
Program leaders hope students will go on to earn their bachelor’s degrees but want to equip them to enter the workforce whether or not they do.
“I’m very proud of the institution,” Berrelleza said. “That we’re doing this in such an intentional way for a group of students that we know face sort of an uphill battle to get there.”