The Inside Track Mentor Program is a relatively new program that has formed on the Henry Ford Community College in Fall 2009. The program is based on making the transition into college easier, for high school students and those students who came back to school after a couple years. It is a program that aims for success for the students and making sure that each student is able to become aware of all the opportunities they have at HFCC.

The Inside Track is based on a mentor/mentee relationship for one semester. Every mentor has a group of around ten mentees that they help. Our services can be as simple as where the cafeteria is to Financial Aid situations. A mentee is given all the information they may need to make their college life successful and enjoyable. The mentee will be able to learn of different events on the college campus and will be given information on the multiple student groups that are located on campus. As well, the Inside Track will assist new students with locating tutors for their various subjects and find ways to borrow books on campus when they are not able to buy books. The mentors keep their mentees first and do what they can to ensure that each mentee receive appropriate time, enough that will allow the mentees to have help when they need it. This is emphasized because a mentee is able to contact their mentor through email, texting, phone call, face to face, or regular mail (snail mail). Thus, the mentees set up the appointments to the best of their schedules.

Do you have Financial Aid problems? Is online registration way too confusing to figure out? Are you planning to transfer, but have no idea what courses you should be taking? Then, the Inside Track is perfect for you. At the Inside Track, we make sure that you are able to register for all of your classes, so that you can get right into studying. We also make sure that you can meet with your counselor, so that you will be able to understand what courses you should take, for you to transfer to a four year institution. Even more so, we know how difficult it is to fill out Financial Aid forms and how restless it can make you feel. However, with our Financial Aid Representative, Elizabeth Preston, we are able to get fast answers for Financial Aid questions. Plus, there are no lines for students in the Inside Track program, so why wait when you can just walk right in with your mentor.

Inside Track has a high success rate and that is given off by just the opinions of the mentees. As stated by Bernidetta Mixon “The Inside Track has empowered me when I decided to come back to school.” As well, Raquel Gipson-Higgins states “The program was helpful overall. It taught me some things that needed help with as far as financial aid, job placement, and how to register online for my classes.” Each mentee has their own way of expressing their gratitude to the program. Unfortunately, the program will be on hiatus as stated by Dr. Lisa Jones-Harris, Vice President of Student Affairs. Dr. Harris mentions that it will be under construction, however, the mentors will still be working with mentees, but not new ones the same ones they have had in the Fall semester. But, they will be still keeping in contact with new students for Fall 2011. As well, the program will take on a new programmer, who will assist Elizabeth Preston with coordinating the group. The idea is to make the program even better, so when Fall 2011 comes around it will be even stronger in assisting the HFCC students.