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Get the most interesting and important stories from the University of Pittsburgh.Kam Chan still remembers what it felt like to arrive at Pitt and wonder if he belonged. Now, he spends part of his week making sure other students know they do.
As a Peer Success Guide, the junior in the Swanson School of Engineering is often one of the first people students meet when they walk into the Student Success Hub, housed in Pitt’s Office of the Provost.
Some stop by with simple questions — how to navigate Pitt’s systems, where to find help, what offices typically do. But others come in carrying something heavier: uncertainty about whether they’re on the right track, said Chan (pictured above).
“Pitt has so many resources, but then people really don’t take advantage of them,” he said. “They’ll hear it in orientation week, and then they’ll completely forget about it.”
Peer Success Guides help close that gap. They connect students to tutoring, advising, research and career opportunities as well as financial guidance. Sometimes the work is logistical. Other times, it is simply reassuring someone that they are not alone.
A leader in cultivating student success
Provost Joe McCarthy describes the University’s long-standing and intentional commitment to helping students reach new possibilities in a recent Forbes Listmaker article. Discover more programs supporting access, affordability and degree completion.
Chan knows how important that reassurance can be.
He arrived at Pitt as a first-generation, low-income student from Pittsburgh. Through the Kessler Scholars Program — a nationally recognized initiative that supports first-generation students through scholarships, advising and programming — Chan found support and community early in his college experience.
“Honestly, without it, I probably wouldn’t be able to go to college,” Chan said.
The encouragement continued before classes even began. Chan also participated in the Provost Academy, a summer transition program designed to help incoming students build confidence, connections and familiarity with campus expectations before the first semester starts.
“I feel like that really allowed me to understand who I am and how I can grow in ways that I never would have seen before,” Chan said. “I’m really giving back to the community that already has given me so much.”
Chan’s shift from student to mentor happened quickly. During his first semester at Pitt, he received early support from Natasha Williams, assistant director for academic coaching in the Student Success Hub, who helped him craft his resume. This experience helped bolster his confidence.
Getting to know the Peer Success Guides made him realize he wanted to step into that role himself. By his second semester, Chan was a guide himself. Today, when students walk into the Hub — whether they are looking for academic coaching, a workshop through the Student Academic Success Series or a connection to a program like Kessler — he’s part of the front line.
The Student Success Hub is designed to make that front door easier to find, so students don’t have to guess where to go or who to ask.
That work extends beyond undergraduate support. Alivia Melius, a graduate student in the School of Education and an intern on the Office of the Provost’s Student Success Team, works with the TRIO McNair Scholars Program, which helps undergraduates prepare for doctoral study and research careers.
“One of the goals of the program is to help provide undergraduate students with the resources they need to pursue graduate school,” Melius said.
Like Chan, Melius works hands on with students, checking in throughout the semester and making sure they’re reaching their academic goals. She also assists with recruitment and facilitating the mentorship program for the scholars.
Melius said her work alongside the Student Success Team has shaped her understanding of what support can make possible — not just academically, but personally and professionally.
“To me, student success means being able to succeed in your academic, personal and professional goals,” Melius said. “An essential part of that is having the resources you need and gaining knowledge and skills that prepare you to thrive as both a student and a graduate.”
Looking for support? Start here.
Located at 217 Langley Hall, the Student Success Hub offers study spaces, on-demand coaching and a range of programs designed to help every Pitt student thrive:
- Academic coaching: One-on-one skill-building support to help students develop the habits and strategies they need to succeed.
- Student Academic Success Series: Workshops covering topics like technology resources, social psychology insights and managing test anxiety.
- First at Pitt: Identifies, supports and celebrates first-generation students, faculty, staff and alumni through programming and an award-winning mentorship program.
- Pitt PRSSIM Project: A federally funded initiative aimed at improving success and completion rates for rural students through expanded recruitment, retention support and partnerships with regional campuses.
- Finish Line Grants: One-time, nonrenewable funds for eligible students with financial holds or unpaid balances so they can stay enrolled and complete their degrees.
- University Undergraduate Advising: A support system that connects undergraduate students with academic advising, coaching, tutoring, exploratory advising, re-enrollment services and intervention programs to help them succeed and complete their degree.
Learn more about Pitt’s student success philosophy in Provost McCarthy’s Forbes Listmaker piece. You can also reach out to studentsuccess [at] pitt.edu for more information.
Photography by Tom Altany