ADVANCE student Ameia Moore-Stone (left) talks with George Mason president Ángel Cabrera and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications
Ameia Moore-Stone is exactly the type of student the ADVANCE program was created for.
Moore-Stone, 35, has been attending Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) since 2014. As a mother and a full-time employee working for a nonprofit, she has found that working on her degree has been difficult. She learned about the ADVANCE program—a partnership between NOVA and George Mason University—from a NOVA email and decided to check it out.
The program helps NOVA students streamline their journey toward a four-year degree at Mason, including by providing guidance in academics and financial aid to make the transition as seamless as possible.
"The idea of a success coach was eye-catching,” said Moore-Stone.
At Moore-Stone’s first meeting with a success coach, she was able to sign up for the right classes and make sure she was taking the right curriculum to get a degree in business administration from Mason. The success coach focused on her needs and understood what she needed to do to successfully transfer, she said.
"Watching their orientation video, I felt like I'm represented in this video because I am one of those working adults that stumbles from time to time," said Moore-Stone.
Atefa Jamal, a 21-year-old student in the ADVANCE program who’s working toward a bachelor’s degree in biology, said she likes the idea of not having to apply to transfer to Mason, which helps her ensure a smooth transition.
“ADVANCE has been a great program for me to be in,” said Jamal. “It has made the process of transferring much more flexible.”
When students are accepted to the ADVANCE program at NOVA, they officially become Mason students as well. Moore-Stone said getting her Mason ID and being able to experience Mason life while working on her degree at NOVA is exciting and encouraging.
Moore-Stone added that, at times, juggling life and her education can be difficult. Before meeting with the ADVANCE success coach, she had mistakenly taken classes that weren’t necessary, wasting her time and money. Now she feels like she’s on the right track.
Moore-Stone said her 12-year-old son is her driving force to finishing her degree.
"Being able to be a part of the ADVANCE program has been a blessing,” she said. “I've always taught my son that once you start something, you do what you can to finish.”