Gulf Coast State College receives grant to re-vamp pathways program

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Going to college is considered a major step in life, but many college students aren’t sure of exactly what they want to study when they begin.

“I had a general idea,” Abby Garvin, a student at Gulf Coast State College, said. “But I didn’t know what the majors were or what to chose from.”

Gulf Coast State College’s Pathways program helps students focus on specific fields of study, and gives them a better idea of what to do with their education.

“A better idea of ‘why am I in school? What am I studying? What am I going to do with this?” Dr. Cheryl Flax-Hyman, Interim President at Gulf Coast State College, said. “Too many of our students change majors. and that is not what we want. so we’re really trying to focus on that career exploration up-front.”

Now, these programs will be re-vamped to help more students discover what they want to do, thanks to funding form the U.S. Department of Education. The college has received the Title III grant from the D.O.E, totaling about two point two million dollars. The funds will be given to the college in increments over the next five years.

Many students say these changes will be beneficial.

“I think that money is really going to help a lot of students,” Chandler Strong, a student at Gulf Coast State College, said. “Because a lot of people don’t know this but Gulf Coast does amazing things, they have some amazing programs.”

While the biggest focus of the grant is to boost the pathways program, the money will help with other needs as well.

“We can re-design critical courses it also helps us with technology,” Flax-Hyman said. “There’s all different components in grant, so we’re absolutely ecstatic to have received it.”

Helping students achieve their goals, and take this major step in their lives.

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