1. WHY WE LOVE OUR JOBS
I began working at Arcadia
University in 1991 as
the inaugural Director of
Multicultural Affairs, Gateway/
Act 101Counselor/Coordinator
of the Summer Program. As
the Director of Multicultural
Affairs, I provided leadership and
collaboration for the development
and implementation of programs
and services supporting racial
and cultural diversity on campus.
Currently, I serve as the Acting
Director of the Gateway/Act
101 program. The Gateway/
Act 101 program consists of
students, many of whom are
first generation college students,
who demonstrate that they are
capable of achieving educational
success. Act 101 is a bill in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
known as the “Higher Education
Equal Opportunity Act,”
authored by K. Leroy Irvis, then
Speaker of the Pennsylvania
House of Representatives. He
recognized that economically
disadvantaged students in
Pennsylvania were being denied
the initial opportunity to receive
higher education instruction. The
bill was approved in 1971 by the
general assembly.
It is not often that you hear
people say they absolutely love
their jobs! Meeting with students
daily to review goals and provide
guidance as they pursue their
college and career dreams is one of
the highlights of my position. My
ability to engage with students
in a meaningful way informs
me of how to best cater to their
educational, personal, and career
needs. I especially enjoy teaching
the learning strategies course and
witnessing students apply newly
learned skills to their coursework
with great success. Daily, I am
rewarded when students achieve
their semester goals, or when they
have rebounded from academic
jeopardy to good academic
standing. Another rewarding
aspect of my job is the ability to
develop and administer programs
that serve students as well as
provide training to upper-class
students who serve as mentors
for the program. In my 13 years
of working with the program, I
feel a sense of pride that I have
continued to substantially help
students achieve their academic
aspirations. Finally, the Gateway
to Success program is integral
to the university community
as a result of the successful
collaboration among various
departments, faculty, and staff. I
am proud to be a significant part
of fulfilling the mission of this
global institution.
As an Academic Advisor and
the Gateway to Success Program
Coordinator, my absolute favorite
part about working with the
Gateway program is the students!
Every student brings a unique
experience and value to the
program and to Arcadia. I love
that I can see a student through
the summer program, all the
way to their graduation, with all
challenges and accomplishments
in between. Being able to walk
with a student on that journey is
an amazing experience and I am
grateful for all of the students,
who make it worthwhile.
I look forward to meeting
incoming students and
continuing on this journey with
our current students.
I’m a true “Philly Girl” at
heart. I was born in Philadelphia
but my family moved to
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico where
I remained through my early
childhood years, learning
Spanish as my first language.
My family and I eventually
moved back to Philadelphia,
first to the Hunting Park area
and eventually to the Northeast,
where my family still resides.
I am a proud alumna of
Girls’ High and Shippensburg
University, where I earned
both a B.A. in Sociology and
an M.S. in Counseling with a
concentration in College Student
Personnel. I ended up loving the
college experience so much that
I stayed in higher education! I
had so many amazing mentors
and administrators that guided
me in college that it became
one of my true passions to be
able to give back to students in
the same way. I am also a proud
sister of Sigma Lambda Gamma
National Sorority Inc., through
which I continue to serve in the
community and as a mentor of
undergraduate sisters.
Distinguished Dean’s List Fall 2014
Wilfredo Amill ’18
Elaine Applegate ’16
Hannah Berman ’18
Olivia Bressi-Harman ’18
Theresa Johnstone ’16
Cynthia Oquendo ’16
Lauren Potcher ’18
Gina Proietto ’15
Dean’s List Fall 2014
Daniella Castellanos ’16
Chelsea Colon ’16
Isabel Farfan ’16
Takiyah Fortune ’15
Steven Sciortino ’15
Sara Silverman ’17
Vira I. Heinz Program for
Women in Global Leadership
Chelsea Colon ’16
President of Arcadia
University Student
Government Organization
Daniel Rivera ’17
ACADEMIC ACHEIVEMENTS LEADERSHIP
Cristina Cintron-Marsh,
Academic Advisor, and
Gateway Program Coordinator
Angela McNeil
Acting Director, Act 101 Program

2. THE GATEWAY
Arcadia University is committed to the
intellectual, social, and personal development
of each student. This commitment has been
demonstrated over the past 20 years with
continued support of the Gateway to Success
program, which has become an integral part of
the community.
The Gateway to Success program began at
Arcadia University, then named Beaver College, in
August 1991 with a part-time director (Dr. Doreen
Loury) and two part-time professional counselors
(Bruce Keller and Angela McNeil). Gateway to
Success was the umbrella to the College Academic
Assistance Program and Act 101 program. The
mission of the program was and continues to be
service to students who demonstrate academic
promise even though their academic credentials do
not reflect their full potential.
Students are recruited through the Enrollment
Management office, with the Gateway to Success
staff actively participating in the selection process.
Admission consists of three pathways: required
attendance of the Summer Bridge program,
recommended attendance of Summer Bridge, or
beginning the Gateway Program in the fall.
Throughout their tenure at Arcadia, admitted
students receive individualized attention and
additional resources. Both the Summer Bridge
and semester components are structured to
provide academic, social, and personal support,
designed to facilitate the academic success of full-
and part-time Gateway students as they seek to
attain their educational goals.
One of the purposes of the counseling and
advising components of the program is to
assist students in taking responsibility for their
intellectual, academic, personal, communal, and
social development. The program’s underlying
purpose is to move students to a level of
“ownership,” which requires them to become self-
directed and self-aware.
Students achieve this level of independence
through the support and guidance of professional
staff and peer mentors. Peer mentors are vital to
the success of the program. As guides, friends,
and even confidants to incoming students, peer
mentors are responsible for helping students
begin to master the challenges and rigors of
college academic, social, and personal life.
Incoming students must master developmental
tasks as outlined by Chickering’s Student
Development Model in order to reach their full
potential as burgeoning young adults. The better
a student is able to fulfill these tasks, the more
success they will experience as college students.
Gateway to Success helps students achieve this
level of self-mastery.
Students in the Gateway to Success Program are
lifetime members who are very successful and reach
back and support the program in a variety of ways.
THE JOURNEY
Students and staff with Arcadia President Nikki DeVille Christensen.
Feb. 2015
Vol. 1
In this Issue:
• Advice from an
Alumna
• Senior Student Profile
• Visitor from Japan
• De-Stress Event
• Sophomore Profile
• Freshman Profile
• Tips for Commuters
• Why Ms. Angela & Ms.
Cristina love their jobs!
• Gateway Student
Accomplishments
Catherine Hagan ’17|Editor
Staff Writers/Contributors
Daniel Riviera ’17
Natalie Vargas ’16
Tatiana Redden ’17
Special thanks to those who
worked on the newsletter
behind the scenes during the
previous academic year.
John Doherty ’14
Jayson Flores ’14
Karla Marquez ’17
Noriette Suarez ’14
Gateway to Success
Taylor Hall, Suite 107
450 S. Easton Road
Glenside, PA 19038
Newsletter
Staff

3. TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FROM A
GATEWAY ALUMNA by Noriette Suarez ’14
Many students struggle to balance
classes, work, extracurricular
activities, social groups, and time.
It becomes very easy and desirable
to procrastinate because of this.
Whenever I used to linger off my
schedule, I would fall right into
the procrastination trap. The most
important thing, though, is to not
fall behind to the point where you
cannot catch up.
For the people who always find
themselves behind in their work,
I strongly urge you to create a
fixed schedule and to-do list. I
started out each semester writing
down times I had classes, work,
and clubs to stay organized. For
example, all my classes would be
highlighted in red, while work
would be yellow, and clubs, blue.
From there, I could clearly see my
“free time.” However, I always
remained mindful that my free
time should be used for studying.
It has been said that for every
hour you spend in class, you will
probably need to study two hours
outside of class.
Every month I would create a
to-do list where each class had its
own category. I’d look at all my
syllabi simultaneously to clearly
see what needed to be completed
and when. Tip: Always keep up
to date with each syllabus to see
where you are going and what
you have done.
A few other great tips:
• Always prepare for class as if
there will be a pop quiz.
• Do not expect to stick with
your schedule perfectly. Be
flexible and always plan a
little extra free time so when
time does goes over, you will
still be on schedule.
• Don’t be hard on yourself.
• Also, take care of yourself:
studying on four hours of
sleep and an empty stomach or
junk-food diet is ineffective.
Do not expect to stick with
your schedule perfectly.
Be flexible and always
plan a little extra free time
so when time does goes
over, you will still be on
schedule. Don’t be hard on
yourself and take care of
yourself. Studying on four
hours of sleep and an emp-
ty stomach or junk-food
diet is ineffective.
Noriette Suarez ’14
GIVING IT BACK, PAYING IT FOWARD
Jose Figueroa, a senior business administration
major with a Spanish minor, has been a part of
the Gateway/Act 101 program for four years total:
one as a student, and three as a mentor. One of the
obstacles he faced that the Gateway program helped
him with was balancing being an athlete and a
student. Students involved in the Gateway to Success
Summer Program have to take a time management
course, which was useful for Jose as an athlete.
Jose points to “being able to prepare for having
a roommate, practice college-level writing, and
having reliable advisors, Ms. Angela and Ms.
Cristina, to depend on” as just some of the
ways he benefited from the Gateways to Success
Summer program.
Jose’s favorite part of the program has been
his involvement as a mentor. He claims this
opportunity has provided him the chance
to “learn from my mentees, draw from their
ambition and drive…. [while] I can share mine
with them as well.” Jose plans to graduate this year
and one day be able to give back to the Gateway/
Act 101 Program by providing internships and
sponsorship to new students.
YOSHIDA OF HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
VISITS GATEWAY/ACT 101
In 2013, Kana Yoshida visited the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Program
(PHEAA) in Harrisburg, Pa. A professor from Hiroshima University whose research focus
is higher education policy and finance, Yoshida was interested in the Higher Educational
Equal Opportunity Programs and their role in promoting access and support to low-
income students.
To that end, on August 29, 2014, Professor Yoshida visited the Gateway/Act 101 program
at Arcadia University, where she met briefly with Dr. Nancy Rosoff, Dean of Graduate and
Undergraduate Studies; Tatiana Redden, a sociology major; Wilfredo Amill, a theater major;
and Angela McNeil, Acting Director, Gateway/Act 101. Yoshida stated that her visit was very
informative and will augment her research in support of introducing a similar program in
Japan. Currently, there is no such program in her country.

4. DE-STRESS WITH GATEWAY TO SUCCESS
In order to get rid of some
of the unwanted stress that
comes with a long semester, the
Gateway staff offered a De-
Stress event.
Students learned about the
difference between stress levels,
created stress balls, and even
had the opportunity to make
delicious smoothies. People
ranging from freshmen to
seniors attended this event, and
everyone enjoyed their time!
AU President Dr. Nicolette
DeVille Christensen took time
out to attend and speak with
students about our semesters
and how things are coming
along. As a second year member
of the Gateway to Success
program, it meant a lot to me
for the President to check on
how we were doing and also
offer some advice on how she
deals with stress, including
running or a call to mom.
The Gateway to Success
Program really cares for the
students. Students appreciate
our De-Stress opportunity to
take our minds off of school
work and relax with peers. Along
with the activities, Personal
Fitness Club President Daniel
Rivera conducted some stress
relief exercises to share with the
attendees of the event. Everyone
found it extremely fun. The little
things like spending time with
the students and staff of Gateway
are the most memorable and
meaningful moments which
make many students
look forward to
the other events
coordinated by the
program. “I really
enjoy having the
time to spend with
my friends after not
seeing them for a
while. Coming to
these events, I know
that I can take the
time out and really unwind
with relaxing activities and
really good food!” said Jamelia
Barrett ‘17, a sociology major.
Coming together as a really
tightknit program, I could see
that everyone at the event was
extremely grateful to be there.
Thank you, Gateway staff!
NATALIE VARGAS: IT’S ALL WORTH IT!
Natalie Vargas ’17 was hesitant
to join the Gateway Program but
ultimately decided to attend. The
Gateway Program is designed to
set the stepping stones—time
management, healthy habits,
understanding what it means to
be a college student—that lead up
to the fall semester.
Natalie likes to watch people,
so she took the first couple of
days to observe the Gateway
Program. The first person she
met was Karla, her roommate,
and they got along fabulously.
Then she met Ms. Angela, who
gave off a maternal feeling and
helped Natalie transform her
idealistic dreams into realistic
goals. She also challenged
Natalie to narrow her focus.
Natalie’s English class was
influential because her professor
saw students as individuals
with potential and wanted the
best for them. Natalie noticed
what it meant to be a leader
on campus, and she knew she
wanted to be a leader who did
many things as well.
Before she graduates, Natalie
hopes to find an internship that
will help her discover what she
wants to do and to study abroad.
FIRST-YEAR STUDENT PROFILE: KATELYN DUVALL
Katelyn Duvall ’18 is a first-
year student majoring in
Criminal Justice from Camphill,
PA. Arcadia University was
appealing to her because it was
different from her hometown
and close enough to the city for
her to explore.
When she was offered
an opportunity to enter the
Gateway to Success Program,
she participated in the summer
session and built friendships and
learned locations on campus. She
enjoyed having information and
experience from others because she
was prepared and settled in by fall
semester. The Gateway Program
set a foundation and allowed her
access to valuable resources.
Katelyn says if it were not
for the Gateway Program, her
experience and transition into
the fall semester “may have been
rocky.” Without the Gateway
program, she may not have
learned some of the strategies
she needed for college.
“Their support never goes
away,” she says.
Tips for Commuter
Students:
• Socialize with
others and try
to make friends.
• Utilize the
University
Commons
• Talk to the
Commuter
Assistants.
• Take advantage of
the guest rooms.
• Try to carpool.
• Do not hesitate
to connect with
members of clubs
and organizations.
Voice your opinions
to faculty about
problems or
concerns.
Katelyn Duvall ’18 (right)