Campus News
June 24th, 2025
16 Garrett College students complete STARS
Retention program allows freshmen to earn while they learn
Left to right: Emily McCormick, Luis Bothello, and Malia Martin all earned perfect 4.0 grade-point averages this spring as part of Garrett College’s STARS program
Garrett College’s STARS completers may not be CIA agents, but they all know something about completing a mission.
Sixteen GC students recently completed this spring’s Striving Together and Reaching Success (STARS) program. The latest STARS cohort combined for a 3.63 grade-point average while navigating the mission-based retention program.
“The students have to complete a set of missions each semester designed to help them become more familiar with how things work at the College,” said Karen Linton, an academic success specialist who manages the program. “The program emphasizes helping students stay fit academically, financially, and physically.”
Student have to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average and complete five missions each semester in which they are enrolled in the program in order to successfully complete. All spring semester completers earned a $300 award, but Linton said the lessons students learned were much more important than the stipend earned.
“The biggest value students receive from the program is learning about the College, knowing who to contact for help, and learning what they need to do to be successful,” said Linton.
All participants had to explore the library, meet with their academic advisor, visit the Advising & Academic Support Center (AASC), pass the First-Year Experience (FYE) course with a “C” or better, and register early for the upcoming semester. Other missions provided choices, such as the “Learn Something New” mission that gave students choices in attending one of several workshops: notetaking, presentation skills, dealing with procrastination, etc.
Linton wishes more students would take advantage of the STARS program, which is open to all incoming freshmen.
“It’s a good program; I just wish more students took advantage of it,” said Linton.
This year’s successful completers were:
Christine Barnes, Linda Biggs, Luis Bothello, Makaela Braxton-Brown, Victoria Greene, Petar Kos, Malia Martin, Emily McCormick, Carmello Myles, Everett Nichols, Paige Reall, Rodney Ryan, Ryelynn Sweitzer, Gracyn Upole, Wisdom Usikhifo, and Mikayla Warnick.
To learn more about STARS, contact Karen Linton at karen.linton@garrettcollege.edu, or call 301.387.3716.
