ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State Abington has established a new program, Sister2Sister (S2S), to improve graduation rates and develop community among women of color at the college.
Senior Ruth Brooks, co-founder of S2S, said helping these women earn their degrees is the primary objective.
“The main reason I joined Sister2Sister is to encourage women that making it to your senior year is possible by learning from others, teaching others what you learned, and growing to become a better you," she said. “One crucial tool that helped me through college is knowing and utilizing the resources around me, so one goal is to help find and share resources.”
Breshay Lewis, co-founder of S2S, explained the program's broader plan.
“We hope to build a sisterhood along the way," the senior said. "We plan social as well as professional and academic events.”
The seeds for the program were sown last fall when Tina Vance-Knight, director of Abington's Center for Career & Professional Development, noticed a pattern among young women of color whom she met on campus.
“They said they didn’t feel connected here. They would come to class and go home,” Vance-Knight, S2S adviser and unofficial mentor-in-chief, said. ”Where is the community? We are a culture of connection, and, if we don’t feel it, we don’t feel like we belong.”