About the Webinar

While 80% of community college students enter higher education intending to earn a bachelor's degree, fewer than 35% successfully transition to a four-year institution—and only 16% complete their degree. Closing this gap requires more than policy adjustments; it demands scalable, human-centered connection.

Join higher education leaders from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Northwest Vista College alongside Mentor Collective for a conversation on how cross-institutional peer mentorship bridges the 2-year to 4-year divide, combats "summer melt," and drives long-term degree completion.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Strategic Pathway Alignment: How to seamlessly connect community college pipelines with 4-year university access, retention, and graduation goals.
  
• Early Proactive Interventions: Why launching peer mentorship outreach early in the summer dramatically boosts enrollment yield and smooths the transfer transition.
  
• Data-Driven Student Support: How tracking non-cognitive indicators and automated "flags" allows advising teams to intervene early for TRIO, transfer, and first-generation students.
  
• Measurable Operational Impact: How UTSA saved 1,398 staff hours—representing $31,000 in equivalent administrative value—while simultaneously expanding high-touch support.
  

Dr. Yolanda Reyes Guevara is a higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience in advancing student success, educational access, and community partnerships. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Reyes Guevara is deeply committed to expanding opportunities for students from under-resourced communities and her professional work is grounded in the belief that every student possesses the potential to succeed when provided with meaningful support, mentorship, and access to opportunity. At Northwest Vista College, she has led strategic initiatives that strengthen partnerships with local school districts, university partners, enhance enrollment and student completion efforts, and create innovative pathways that promote student achievement. Dr. Reyes Guevara was selected as a 2024–2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the Administrators in International Education Seminar-Germany, recognizing her commitment to global engagement in higher education. She earned a Ph.D. in Adult, Professional, and Community Education from Texas State University and her research is focused on adult student persistence at community colleges.

Barbara Smith is an experienced higher education leader with over 30 years of experience dedicated to advancing student success, degree completion, and equitable educational pathways. As Executive Director of Transfer and Transitions Student Success Services and TRIO at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), she leads the planning and expansion of high-impact initiatives supporting transfer and transition-focused students. A first-generation transfer student herself, Barbara brings deep personal insight to her advocacy for removing barriers and building seamless institutional partnerships. She serves on the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Board of Directors and contributes to multiple statewide and system-wide transfer advisory committees. Barbara holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Biology from UTSA.