First Year Experience - Beacon College

First Year Experience - Beacon College
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Founded in 1989, Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, stands as a shining beacon of hope and opportunity for students with learning disabilities.
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Join us on campus for one of our upcoming Open House events! We invite you to experience the personalized support, vibrant campus life, and academic excellence that make Beacon College the ideal choice for students with learning differences.
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Intellectual challenge is at the heart of a Beacon education. We take this very seriously, but we are also very practical about it. Our 10 bachelor’s degree programs are intended to prepare our students to find worthy work in today’s global marketplace.  Additionally, we encourage students to explore their diverse interests through one or more of our 17 minors.
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“Pursuing the life abundant” is the pervading theme that infuses everything we do at Beacon College. It’s something we take very seriously indeed.
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First Year Experience
Essential Connections for College Success
At Beacon, we’ve assembled a personalized success team for each student’s First-Year Experience. This gateway program provides you with three professionals who know, interact with, and support you on a daily basis. Through our unique First-Year Experience program, our Transition Counselors, Learning Specialists, and Residence Life Specialists actively engage with and support each new student as you adjust to life and learning at Beacon.
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Why Is the First Year Experience Important?
Research shows that the sooner first-year students make positive and lasting connections at a college, the more likely they are to:
Persist in their studies.
Engage with faculty and fellow students.
Experience an active and affirming social life.
Seek help when encountering a problem.
For students who learn differently, these early connections are especially key to building their confidence and personal independence.
More Than Student Engagement
Our First-Year Experience engages new students — and their families — in year-long programs and services to support your successful transition to college. Programs throughout the year include:
Virtual webinars and Get-to-Know-Beacon activities before coming to campus
Five-day, immersive new student orientation with parent orientation
First-Year Experience class
Ongoing workshops, guest speakers, and special events
The Beacon Difference
Because we’re at the frontline of student engagement, our First-Year Experience team brings these professionals together in a highly collaborative way to help as you establish your identity in your “home away from home.” We’ve established target benchmarks for student engagement and success in key areas. When a student isn’t making progress toward these benchmarks, the members of the First-Year Experience team reach out to help identify — and resolve — potential barriers to your success. It’s all part of our promise to connect you with the resources you need to thrive.
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Helping to keep you on track in class attendance and work submission.
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Executive Functioning
Learning tips and tricks for organizing, managing memory issues, and more!
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Our Counseling and Wellness team employs a strengths-based approach to help any student with distress.
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Providing a full calendar of social activities across campus from residential life to fitness.
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Providing more than an onsite apartment director, our Resident Specialists are engaged in activities and campus life engagements.
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Adding career readiness activities from the moment you step on campus, our Career Center provides engaging resources to help you succeed.
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Student Life and First-Year Experience Staff
Hanah Diebold
Dean of Students
352-638-9740
hdiebold@beaconcollege.edu
Heather Reed
Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Leadership
352-638-9819
hreed@beaconcollege.edu
Jessica Hughes
Assistant Director of Campus and Community Engagement
352-638-9761
jhughes@beaconcollege.edu
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