Bridging the Gap
A closer look at U-M’s Summer Bridge program
—By Madeline Bough
When Ellington Poston got her University of Michigan admissions letter, she was at first ecstatic. That letter contained a new beginning, but a mystery followed. The words “Summer Bridge Program” stood out on the page in bold letters that seared her with uncertainty. She compared her admission letter to some of her high school classmates and out of the four of them, two had been elected to the program. Ellington wanted answers, and she found them in a University of Michigan student and friend, “Oh that’s the program for stupid people.”
Poston, now the current coordinator of the Summer Bridge Program, recalled the statement with distaste. The story Poston told is not uncommon. Today, negative perceptions and misunderstanding still persist around the Bridge program. The Summer Bridge program at the University of Michigan is one of the summer programs hosted by universities around the country that are meant for incoming freshmen to adapt to campus, campus resources, and academic courses. University of Michigan’s Bridge program is built off the Black Action Movement, whose demands eventually formed the 7-week program that was designed to help minority students who faced inequitable education to build a strong academic foundation for the fall. The mistreatment of black and students of color on this campus continues to be brushed aside when speaking to the purpose of Bridge. The Black Action Movement’s demand for a 10% black student enrollment has yet to be realized, with enrollment in recent years as low as 4%. This striking number that points to why the University’s Bridge program is vital.
For those who make the leap into the Bridge program, the “why” and “what” of Bridge becomes abundantly clear within those 7-weeks. Bridge Scholars learn what it means to have committed academic advisors, long-lasting relationships, and above all a community they can relate to. Most Bridge scholars come out with a resonating experience. As Poston recalls, “Bridge was one of the best parts of my undergrad career.”
Going in
Deciding on where to go to college and commit four years of undergrad can be the most stressful experience of one’s lifetime. Now imagine that stress added with a summer admission. Caroline Yoder, a psychology major and Summer Bridge scholar of 2024, was faced with this decision. She recalls driving home from a trip to Florida and getting the admission letter, dreading losing her last summer, and feeling as though she wasn’t smart enough to even attend Michigan. As she recalled the story, she sighed, “It threw off my entire plan.”
This feeling is one shared by most scholars. Allison Wang, the assistant director for living-learning programs and part of the heart of Summer Bridge states, “Most scholars coming into Bridge have barriers, like summer vacations, long-held plans, and feelings like they don’t even deserve to be at Michigan, that they have to get over, which is completely valid.”
Another Bridge scholar, Saria Uddin, shared a similar reaction to Poston upon receiving her letter, declaring, “What is Bridge?” Uddin and Yoder, despite their confusion and hesitancy, went on to love Bridge and the things they gained from the experience.
Impact
The Bridge program provides an abundant amount of resources to scholars and sets them up for success academically by introducing them to 6 credits in the summer. However, when interviewing both scholars and faculty, the resounding answer to what truly makes Bridge a success is the community. Wang states, “Community is the most valuable to students. I mean community in two ways, the peer-to-peer that allows students to find people who have similar backgrounds to them. There is also the faculty-to-peer relationship that is important, staff’s interactions with students gives them the sense of comfort and belonging.”
Yoder’s experience with Bridge is not far from what Wang observes from students. Yoder described that Bridge let her make friends, which was not something that she was banking on. She also talked about her academic advisor who made a tremendous impact on her. Yoder practically bounced up and down when speaking about her advisor, Alicia Farmer: “Alicia is so invested and cares for me so deeply, I didn’t think I’d get that.” The faculty’s impact on Yoder didn’t stop there though. After discussing faculty, she remembered a story about a teacher she had during Summer Bridge. “I went to the Salvation Army with my mom this weekend and guess who I saw? My seminar teacher! We talked a little and she offered to write me a letter of rec and kept praising me. I would never ask for one but she offered, it was nice.”
Memory
When speaking to anyone, from one’s parents to older siblings, they will say that college gave them some of the best memories they could ask for. As a Summer Bridge scholar these students get a head start on making some of these memories. Recalling her own experience, Poston smiled and stated, “Bridge was one of the best parts of my undergraduate career.” Bridge did not fade away from Poston, but stuck with her so much she came back.
Yoder and Uddin, being fresh out of the Summer Bridge experience, gave specific memories that stuck with them. Yoder told a story of her and her friends sitting on the floor of her dorm room late at night wearing face masks playing Cards Against Humanity. They laughed at the obscene cards and shared some of their deepest feelings and experiences. After smiling through telling the story she held onto her smile a little longer and said, “I felt like I had made connections and could be me in front of people.”
Uddin told the story of the night that Bridge Scholars participated in the tradition of walking through Cooley Fountain in opposite directions at the start and end of their academic careers. Summer Bridge scholars get a special opportunity to do this before other students on campus and do it with their own special community. Uddin stated after the story, “When we all walked through that fountain, it was so cool. Even though we didn’t know all of each other, we cheered each other on; it was fun.”
The real thing
Bridge may always be perceived in a negative light by outsiders but the experiences told by Uddin, Yoder, Poston, and Wang is the reality. Studies further show just how impactful Summer Bridge programs are, providing feelings of belonging and a large positive impact on students.
The students who come into bridge programs not only receive an impactful experience but research says that Summer Bridge students also have 60% higher odds of staying for the second semester of college and 71% higher odds of persisting after that compared to other students. Summer Bridge is not for the “stupid”; it’s for those who have disadvantaged backgrounds and have just as much drive and talent as other students. As Wang put it, “Bridge gives students the level-playing field they deserve.”
Poston explains what Bridge is and leaves us with this: “Bridge is not a blanket program that is just for academics, it’s meant to have multiple uses for different people.” Not every Bridge student is at the program for the same reason. At the end of the day Poston states, “Everybody has their own backstory but Bridge has students who end up being the top students at University of Michigan, student-activists, and those who push for social change.”
Feature Photo: Yoder (middle) and Uddin (back right) with friends on fountain night by Caroline Yoder