Building a bridge for students to transition from high-school to college

The Wright Science, Technology and Engineering Preparatory Program was initiated in 1988 to develop the education in science for the youth in city public schools which are mostly comprised of first-generation college and economically challenged students. The participating students upon successful completion of the program requirements while in 10^th grade are awarded full-tuition scholarship to pursue a bachelor's degree of their choice at our university. These high-school seniors while in 12^th grade attend a series of workshops designed to aid students in having a smooth transition to college. After these students graduate from high-school, in the summer they also attend a mentoring program designed to prepare them as mentors and role-models. Upon completion of the mentoring program, students participate in a week long academic advantage program to hone their math skills required for the first year of college. This paper presents in detail the model implemented along with our observations and findings.