The ultimate goal of the program is to enable students with barriers to education,

training, and employment to become more successful through better time and life

management.

San Diego City College’s New Horizons program conducted a needs assessment that

determined that single parent and displaced homemaker students have similar concerns.

These include where to locate child or medical care, how to access transportation

options, time management issues, questions about resumes and interviews, etc. The

staff was also faced with increased demand for service and thus the need to streamline

services. They decided to develop a planner than would enable students to manage their

time, access resources, and understand career options.

The planner was sent and marketed to all vocational education instructors at San Diego

City College. The students who have received and used the planner have reported back

that the use of a planner has made their educational and personal lives more focused,

organized, and enabled them to plan their time and classes more effectively.

Mary Ann Castellanos, a New Horizons student, and Academic Planner user, says that

she is better able to see the future outcome of her goals as she has them listed and broken

down in steps week-by-week. Additionally, she says that she likes that she can see the

path her education will take as she has it listed by semester. She says that it makes her

better able to “see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

College Contacts: Elena Adams, Director

Mary Ann Kruse, Program Coordinator

Mary Ann Castellanos, Student Assistant

1313 12th Ave

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 388-4540, eadams@sdccd.net