Cori Robinson and Xuong Tran advise students in Student Support Services
Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, TRiO Student Support Services at Dakota County Technical College is one opportunity that never stops knocking. Through SSS, eligible participants—low-income students, first-generation college students with neither parent having a bachelor’s degree, and students with a documented disability—receive intensive, one-on-one and small-group assistance designed to meet their specific needs.
Dora Schumacher, the director of TRiO at DCTC, reported that Student Support Services at the college serves 160 students from enrollment to graduation. She pointed out that SSS is founded on achieving Three Key Goals:
- Helping students do well in their courses
- Helping students re-enroll each semester and graduate on time
- Helping students transfer to four-year colleges or universities to earn their bachelor’s degrees
Dora added that SSS directly aligns with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Strategic Framework, specifically Section II, “Be the Partner of Choice to Meet Minnesota’s Workforce and Community Needs.”
“As a technical college in the statewide MnSCU system, DCTC is charged with dramatically increasing retention, transfer and completion rates for our students,” she said. “In Student Support Services, we advance these objectives by focusing our efforts in three main areas, Academic, Financial Literacy and Personal. We offer a comprehensive array of learning opportunities and activities to ensure student success. From our Summer Bridge program to study skills development to college transfer planning to career exploration, we are here to support our students every step of the way. Their goals are our goals.”
Chief duties of a Student Support Services advisor
- Meet with students either by appointment or as walk-ins
- Motivate students to succeed
- Keep open lines of communication with students and faculty
- Listen and help solve problems
- Figure out what’s working for each student—and what’s not
- Provide ongoing guidance
- Help with college and career planning
- Monitor academic progress to make sure students are on track to graduate on time
- Be an advocate for students as they navigate the collegiate environment
In addition to such first- and second-year involvement activities as peer tutoring, college survival strategies, mini-workshops, study groups, career networking and becoming a mentor (to name a few), SSS also promotes student success via the professional expertise of two full-time advisors, Cori Robinson and Xuong Tran.
“TRiO is all about building personal relationships,” Dora Schumacher said. “Xuong and Cori exemplify that approach to student success. They empower students by encouraging them to be responsible and self-reliant. They are always current with the most accurate information regarding what students need to know to plan and advance their college careers. Cori and Xuong are consummate professionals.”
Cori Robinson | TRiO Student Support Services Advisor
Cori RobinsonA native of Chicago, Ill., and a 1985 graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School on the city’s Near West Side, Cori Robinson enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago right after earning her diploma. Four years later, she had a B.A. in psychology.“I started graduate school and was working toward my masters in clinical psychology, but I stopped halfway through,” Cori recalled. “I worked in mental health as well as drug treatment and prevention—and I’m glad I did not go that track. I kind of wish I would have gotten the degree just to get it, but I knew that path wasn’t for me.”
Cori in kindergartenCori and her husband, Darryl, moved from Chicago to Arizona, living in Mesa for a few of years while Darryl traveled, playing and managing in minor league baseball. When they decided to return to the Midwest, Cori was okay with the idea. “Arizona was too hot,” she said. “Unless you were from Mesa, you were considered an outsider. It was a bit of a challenge.”They settled in Minnesota and Cori worked in human resources at a charter school before landing a position as a cultural liaison for ISD 196. Cultural liaisons work with students of color. They serve as connecting links between students and the schools they attend. Cori was one of three cultural liaisons at Dakota Hills, the middle school where she was based.
“A lot of times, students of color have trouble connecting with people in a school environment,” she said. “I was a bridge between my students and their schools. We held individual and group sessions. We talked to parents and helped teachers help students who were having difficulties.”
Colby Lake in Woodbury, Minn.Cori worked for ISD 196 for eight years. In 2007, she found her way to DCTC and her dream job as an advisor in TRiO Student Support Services. In addition to her regular advising duties, she also manages the SSS database.
“I work in concert with Xuong,” said Cori, who resides in Woodbury, Minn., with her family. She has a daughter, Dallis, 14, and a son, Chase, 12. “We have students in our offices all the time. We’re listening, we’re problem solving, we’re helping with college planning, we’re providing guidance. We see open communication with our students as crucial to their success.”
Laura Gardner is a tutor and one of Cori’s colleagues in Student Support Services. She has worked with Cori for a number of years. “Cori is wonderful at creating positive interdependence with those she works with—students or staff,” Laura said. “She engages in collaboration and teamwork to capitalize on knowledge, skills and resources to benefit students. Her approach has resulted in countless students achieving their goal of graduation.”
12 Questions
- What brought you to DCTC?
I wanted to work in higher education. I got weary of the drama you encounter at middle schools and high schools. That drama stays pretty much the same year after year. I saw the job opening as an Student Support Services advisor and applied. Things are much less dramatic at the college level. - What skill set or knack makes you good at your job?
I’m detail-oriented, a good listener and a problem solver. I also have a strong desire to help. I want to see students move from point A to B to C and onward. - What’s the hardest part of your job?
Sometimes students don’t succeed—and that can be tough. Even when they are motivated, they can get pulled away by something in their lives. They have the desire and they try, but other things keep calling them away. We let them know that if they can’t do it now, we will still be here if they decide to come back. - What is your favorite pastime or hobby?
I enjoy abstract painting. - What is your greatest accomplishment to date?
My kids are simply the greatest. Dallis plays the flute. She also dances at a dance studio and performs in regional competitions. Chase plays baseball, football and basketball. Both Dallis and Chase are bilingual, speaking Spanish as well as English. They attend a Spanish immersion school. - What is the one thing you have not done that you would really like to do?
Finish grad school. I’m thinking about pursuing my masters in student affairs at Minnesota State Mankato. - Where in the world would you go if you could go anywhere?
I would visit Tuscany in Italy. - What is your favorite season of the year?
Fall - If you could learn to do anything, what would you learn to do?
I would learn to fence. - If you had to change your first name, what name would you pick?
Sydney - If you could be any kind of animal for a day or even a year, what kind of animal would you be?
Jaguar - What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?
The best gift I can give is spending time helping my friends and family with projects they have going.
Bonus question: What do you admire most about Xuong?
Xuong has a quiet, non-intrusive way of working with students. He finds just the right balance, digging just enough to discover what the problem is—and he never sits in judgment. His quiet style makes him great to work with, too. I really appreciate that about him.
Xuong Tran | TRiO Student Support Services Advisor
Xuong Tran Khmer pagoda in Sóc TrăngBorn in Sóc Trăng, a small town (now a city) south of Saigon in the former South Vietnam, Xuong Tran comes from a family with three older sisters and two younger brothers. As a result of the North Vietnamese victory in the Vietnam War, Xuong’s family was placed under house arrest. He was eight years old in 1978 when his father, a businessman, made the decision to take his wife and children on a perilous escape to freedom by fishing boat.“The boat was small, but carried hundreds of people,” Xuong remembered. “We eventually made it to a refugee camp in Malaysia. After a year or so, we were sponsored by a church in Georgia and were able to relocate to Louisville, a town just south of Macon. Finding a sponsor was literally like winning the lottery. Some families waited five to ten years to get out of the camp.”
Xuong entered the third grade in Georgia not knowing a word of English. His schooling turned into an ordeal and his teacher reported to his mother that he cried a lot.
“My mom told the teacher, ‘If he cries again, spank him,’” Xuong said. “My teacher did just that and I stopped crying. It seems funny now, but it wasn’t then.”
Canada goose in attack modeWith help from new friends in his school and by watching plenty of television, including cartoons and shows like The Dukes of Hazzard, Xuong mastered English. His family eventually settled in Minnesota and the chance to continue his education. He attended Hopkins High School, where he played football and tennis, before enrolling at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education.“My older sisters—Kim, Phuong and Tiffany—and I car-pooled together all four years we went to the U of M,” Xuong said. “One strange memory I have from that time was when a flock of Canada geese crashed into our Chevy station wagon as we drove to school. We rolled up our windows and one goose even flew under our car. Fortunately, none of the geese were hurt.”
In 2001, he earned his mini-masters in international business management from the University of St. Thomas. He worked for 10 years at nonprofits, including SHAPE and CAPI, before arriving at DCTC in 2007. His first job at the college was multicultural student recruiter/advisor. He started in his current position in 2009.
Xuong graduating from Hopkins High“While working at nonprofits, I learned about advocacy and giving back to the community,” said Xuong, who resides in Shakopee with his wife, Kia, and the couple’s son, Aiden, 4. “In my job as an advisor, I take those same relationship-building and motivational skills to help students. I work to convince students that they need to develop the willpower and drive—the edge—to succeed. Experience and knowledge are not enough. I do that by telling students stories from my own life.”Pat Lair, the director of student success at DCTC, has known Xuong from the time when Xuong worked in Student Services. “Xuong Tran is a dedicated and passionate student advocate professional,” Pat said. “He dedicates his time and energy to make sure his TRiO advisees are getting the support they need to be successful at DCTC and, in some cases, to transition to four-year colleges and universities. His calm demeanor, quick smile and delightful laugh draw others to him.”
12 Questions
- What brought you to DCTC?
I saw the opening for the multicultural recruiter/advisor job. I thought it was an interesting position because of the balance between advising and recruiting. I learned all 50-plus programs at the college. That knowledge helps a lot in my job in TRiO. I now have more time to spend with my son, Aiden, who takes piano, swimming and karate lessons. - What skill set or knack makes you good at your job?
I am good at building relationships. My wife says I talk too much. I’m also good at motivating students. - What’s the hardest part of your job?
The most challenging part of my job is when students don’t take their studies seriously. It hurts me to see that. Maybe it’s just that young people just want to have fun. Students need to learn how to balance responsibility with fun. - What is your favorite pastime or hobby?
I love raising koi. I also love to play golf. I like to play near Pequot Lakes just north of Brainerd. Watching nature while you play golf is half the fun. - What is your greatest accomplishment to date?
Getting married to Kia, a Hmong woman, and having a son. We have a cross-cultural marriage.
- What is the one thing you have not done that you would really like to do?
I would love to skydive. I like the thrill of it. - Where in the world would you go if you could go anywhere?
I would take my wife and son back home to Vietnam. I would also like to visit the Great Wall of China. I would like to touch it. - What is your favorite season of the year?
Fall - If you could learn to do anything, what would you learn to do?
I would learn how to sign. - If you had to change your first name, what name would you pick?
Sean - If you could be any kind of animal for a day or even a year, what kind of animal would you be?
Giraffe - What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?
I worked with a lot of refugees and immigrants during my time in nonprofits. I learned that the best gift I can give is my time and experience to bring joy and happiness to people.
Bonus question: What do you admire most about Cori?
Cori has amazing leadership and organizational skills. Her work ethic can’t be matched. She is on top of things in our office because of her discipline and professionalism. I know I can always count on Cori as a colleague and a friend. She also looks like Halle Berry, but don’t tell her that.
For more information about TRiO Student Support Services at DCTC, contact:
- Dora Schumacher
TRiO Director
651-423-8463 - Cori Robinson
TRiO/Student Support Services Advisor
651-423-8514 - Xuong Tran
TRiO/Student Support Services Advisor
651-423-8289
