Posted on August 28, 2025 by Sean M. Wood
Summer Bridge Program Participants
Twenty Incoming engineering students to the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design spent four weeks this summer getting a taste of college life through the school’s Summer Bridge Program.
Thanks to donations from corporate sponsors like International Motors, commuter students who may normally feel isolated, were able to get a leg-up acclimating to college life. This program provided an opportunity for them to connect with incoming classmates, engage with professors, learn more about the profession and learn about available resources to help them succeed in pursuit of their engineering degrees.
"The Klesse Summer Bridge Program for our non-residential students plays such an important role in students’ academic and personal success,” Klesse College Assistant Dean and Director of Student Success Jill Ford said. “Students who come back and forth to campus from home don’t always have the same opportunity to make connections as students who live in the residence halls. Seeing those connections and study groups forming through Summer Bridge is exciting and builds the type of community we want to have in Klesse College.”
Students receive early exposure to college-level math and chemistry, one-on-one success coaching, and opportunities to engage directly with engineering faculty, peers, and industry. Nearly half of the students are the first in their families to attend college. With four year’s worth of data from this program, Ford says it shows a strong improvement in overall academic success metrics such as average first-year GPA, success in calculus, and retention to the engineering program.
“It’s great early exposure to life as a college freshman,” biomedical engineering major Alexandra de la Garza said. “Getting in a month early is good experience. I’m embracing good habits and meeting students who are just as ambitious. It’s good to lean on others who may be having similar struggles as you.”
Fellow participant Lindsi Ozdener said she plans to major in chemical engineering and pursue a career in either the oil and gas industry, or pharmaceuticals.
“The Summer Bridge Program offers me great chances of being successful at university,” Ozdener said. “I’m learning good study habits for when the semester starts. I know the difference in workload from high school to university will mean putting in more time. But I’d like people to think of me as a determined person.”
The Summer Bridge Program is also offered for students living on-campus. Klesse College hosted 24 residential students this summer through the generous support of Zachry Construction Company and HEB.
— Sean M. Wood
