Former Houston Community College students Amorette Flores and sisters Sarah and Andrea Paredones found a home at the University of St. Thomas through a summer bridge program, where high-achieving HCC students are offered the chance to take summer courses at UST at HCC tuition rates.

Dr. Rudy Soliz, HCC business administration department chair, approached UST President  Dr. Robert Ivany in January 2007 with a plan for an innovative collaboration between the institutions.

 “My goal in creating this program was to expose HCC students to UST, and hopefully this exposure would encourage them to transfer to UST to complete their bachelor’s degree,” Soliz said. “The students were required to have completed 50 hours and have 3.0 grade point average or better to qualify for the program.”

When Amorette Flores graduated from Klein Forest High School in 2004, she immediately began working fulltime. With the encouragement of her friends and family, Flores decided to quit her job to focus solely on academics at HCC Northeast College Northline campus. Excelling in her classes, earning a 3.6 GPA and a spot on the Dean’s list for two consecutive semesters, Flores qualified to participate in UST’s summer program.

“When I was ready to transfer in spring 2008, I was considering the University of Houston business program, but then I received the e-mail from Dr. Soliz informing me about the program at UST,” Flores said. “My dad was so excited because he heard great things about the University of St. Thomas. My friends and family were supportive and thought this was a really big opportunity.”

Now in her sophomore year at UST, Flores is majoring in general business.

“I love it here. I don’t think I could have made a better choice,” Flores said. “Even though I wanted to work and started my college career a little late, I have always loved school, and I knew I had the potential and the interest to come to a four-year university.

“UST has been wonderful and the faculty and staff encourage us to ask questions. Because we are a smaller campus, you don’t feel lost, which is something that so many freshman and transfer students fear. After orientation, I felt really comfortable. I have been able to take advantage of student resources like tutoring, and have gone to the writing center for resume help and advising to choose classes. I even joined a club recently – the Hispanic Business Association.” 

As high school students, Sarah and Andrea Paredones spent afternoons on the UST campus while their mother, Alicia Paredones (’04) pursued a bachelor’s degree in education. Sarah and Andrea started their college careers at HCC, but the bridge program enabled them to follow in their mother’s footsteps.

“I thought it was generous for UST to offer summer classes at HCC prices,” Andrea said “We were both able to receive transfer student scholarships, and that has lightened the load, especially since there are two of us here at the same time.”

Andrea, who is pursuing a degree in general business, said the similarities in class size between HCC and UST and the staff members at both schools made the transition between institutions easy.

“UST makes it easy to transfer your credits,” Andrea said. “HCC prepared me for classes at UST, but right away, I noticed a difference in academic difficulty and level of commitment by the students.”

Sarah, who is majoring in international development, echoed the same sentiments, “The summer classes helped facilitate the move to a new school because I got a preview of the classes and the campus before I started a whole semester here.”

To community college students unsure about transferring to a four-year university, Sarah said, “Go for it. The longer you wait, the more uncertainty you experience about moving on to the next level. The support of your teachers, family and friends should be enough to motivate you to accomplish your goals.”

To receive a detailed, personal transfer degree plan, contact Lee Holm, acting director of admissions, at 713-525-3555 or lholm@stthom.edu.