Meet Three Adult Learners Who Thrived with Success Coaching
By considering the whole person, ReUp Success Coaches empower nontraditional adult learners to identify obstacles, set goals, and find solutions that harmonize their academic and personal lives.
Adult learners are part of a rapidly growing population in the U.S. They often juggle multiple roles—employee, parent, caregiver—alongside their educational aspirations. This balancing act can lead to significant barriers, like time constraints, financial pressures, and the task of re-acclimating to an academic environment that changed since they left. The complexity of these challenges underscores the need for tailored support.
Personalized support is at the heart of ReUp Education’s mission: to support adult learners as they reclaim their educational journeys, no matter how long they’ve been away. ReUp Success Coaching is a critical component in re-engaging and supporting adult learners. Success coaches take a holistic approach that extends far beyond academic guidance to support both personal and educational challenges. By considering the whole person, they empower learners to identify obstacles, set goals, and find solutions that harmonize their academic and personal lives.
Why personalized support matters
For some learners, a Success Coach is the main source of support as they work to earn a credential. Adult learner Jose “Alex” Colon originally enrolled in college to pursue his passion for electrical engineering, but stepped away when a lung cancer diagnosis required him to focus on his health. Over the next decade, he battled and beat cancer and served as a caretaker for his mother before she passed away. With so many circumstances beyond his control, Alex put higher education on hold. But then, at age 50, he decided to complete his degree after a call from ReUp Success Coach Shannon, who made him realize that his dreams were still within reach.
Having someone on their side can play a big role in an adult learner’s ability to regain confidence, re-enroll in school, and persist to graduation. For Alex, re-enrolling meant navigating new administrative procedures, overcoming doubt, and addressing financial concerns.
“Going back to school felt like an impossible mountain to climb, but Coach Shannon showed me it’s one step at a time,” Alex said. “Her belief in me made me believe in myself.
Easing the transition back to academic life
Andrey Mazuera’s story further illustrates how personalized support reduces the barriers adult learners face when they return to higher ed. After leaving the U.S. Army, Andrey enrolled in college. But a few semesters into his degree, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which led him to put his education on hold. Seeking stability during an unpredictable time, he re-enlisted in the Army. His journey took another turn when he was injured and subsequently medically retired.
Andrey knew that completing a psychology degree was crucial for his future career prospects and to reach his goal of working with Homeland Security to help target traffickers. Navigating the transition from military life to higher education proved to be a daunting prospect on his own. His ReUp Success Coach provided him with actionable steps for re-enrollment and consistent encouragement that made his return to academia smoother and alleviated much of the stress associated with such a major life change, which included a cross-country move for Andrey.
“My Success Coach made sure I was taken care of,” Andrey said. “It took away a lot of the stress of figuring out what I needed to do to get back into school.”
Data-driven coaching for adult learners
Central to the effectiveness of ReUp’s success coaching is our data-driven approach. Through learner data insights and our patented learner personas, success coaches tailor their strategies for outreach, ensuring that each interaction—whether to offer recommendations, resources, dynamic interventions, or next steps—is relevant and timely for the learner. This data-centric methodology not only helps locate and engage learners, but also enhances the coaching experience, facilitating more meaningful connections and successful outcomes.
One example is adult learner Joel Cintron, who had a lifelong dream to pursue a healthcare career. He enrolled at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey, but after intense homesickness and anxiety impacted his mental health and academic performance, he made the difficult decision to leave the college.
Over the years, Joel tried multiple times to return to school, but faced consistent obstacles, including a demanding work schedule, personal responsibilities, and social anxiety, which made it nearly impossible to maintain progress in his studies. An email from ReUp prompted him to explore coaching, and he decided to schedule a meeting with Coach Kate, one of ReUp’s Success Coaches.
Success Coaches use personas—representational profiles created from psychographic data ReUp gathered from millions of adult learner interactions—to gain insight into what barriers might exist for a learner. “Learner personas allow me to come to a meeting with questions that align with the learner’s current situation,” Coach Kate explained. “This is especially true if I’m meeting with someone for the first time or if there’s been a pause in the cadence for whatever reason. Ultimately, it helps me meet the learner where they’re at.”
During weekly meetings, Coach Kate offered Joel timely connections and unbiased truth at points when he needed support navigating his academic and personal struggles. This support system, coupled with his determination, made a difference in his ability to persevere. He credits Coach Kate with helping him stay grounded as he came up against his anxiety, providing honest and sometimes hard-to-hear advice essential for his growth and persistence. “With Coach Kate and the support of my mother, I was able to continue to fight that uphill battle and eventually get to the top,” he said.
Creating space for learners to focus on themselves
The stories of Alex, Andrey, and Joel illustrate the pivotal role of highly personalized support in adult learners’ lives. No matter how challenging the journey back to higher ed may seem, guidance that’s delivered at just the right time makes educational goals achievable. As Alex reflected, “If Coach Shannon wouldn’t have reached out, I probably wouldn’t have gone back to school. It’s like she lit a spark in me at the right moment.”
Explore ReUp’s approach to adult learner success and discover re-enrollment solutions, degree completion strategies, and ways to support nontraditional students. Read our case studies and follow our insights on LinkedIn.
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