WINR students check New Horizons for fresh start
by Amanda Leduc
se news editor

   (Part 2 in a four-part series on the Women in New Roles Program at all TCC campuses.)
   They support each other; they come from similar backgrounds, and they understand where each is coming from.
   At least this is how one member of Women in New Roles (WINR) describes the program.
   Melissa Underwood, president of New Horizons, an organization that supports the WINR program, also describes the group as a way for women in transition to support each other and enjoy fellowship.
   “When I say women in transition, I am referring to all kinds of women such as those who are in need of some kind of direction in their life, women who are returning to school after a lapse in time from high school or women who recently received GEDs,” she said.
   New Horizons does not exclude the women with family obligations.
   “Women in transition could also be women who have already started families and are looking to make good use of their time, single moms or even women just looking for fellowship with other women,” she said.
   WINR, which originally started on South Campus, now has expanded to all TCC campuses although the set up on each campus is different.
   Dr. Marisa Garcia-Luna, director of the WINR classes on SE, taught the first WIN-R classes on SE in spring 2002.
   “We knew that women throughout the county need these services. So through a campus-to-campus cooperation, now women, no matter where they live in the county, have a campus near them to help with their transition into college,” she said.
   The program on SE Campus is similar to the WIN-R program on each campus, including classes (Human Relations PSYC 1301 and Applied Psychology PSYC 2302), workshops and support groups.
   “New Horizons is a set of two psychology classes taken concurrently. We are taught how to get organized, keep a goal list and write a resume,” Underwood said.
   The program also offers job-shadowing assignments in the field of the member’s choice and simulated interviews.
   Women will gain the self-confidence needed for success through the WINR program, Garcia-Luna said.
   “We want women to know all they need is the desire and we will do the rest. They can expect to succeed,” she said.
   New Horizons is based on the WINR program developed in 1978 by Emily Lunday, a South Campus counselor who saw an increasing number of women returning to school because of the rise in divorce rates.
   Lunday was a counselor on South Campus, so she was used to meeting with women who were having difficulties attending college for various reasons. She saw an immediate need for a contact group.
   The WINR classes are not required for membership in New Horizons, Underwood said.
   Membership is open to students enrolled in the New Horizons classes, women in transition and New Horizons alumni; no dues are required, according to the New Horizons constitution.
   “If you have already taken your psychology credits or don’t wish to take these classes, you can still become a member of our organization,” she said.
Prospective and current members are encouraged to enroll in the classes.
   “The students who have taken these classes have become so passionate about them and how important they are that they formed this organization specifically to support women in these situations,” she said.
   Underwood finds the program fulfilling because of the support and fellowship she gains from being in a group of her peers.
   “Most of us have children and families and have spent a lot of time out of high school already,” she said.
   New Horizons is trying to increase its outreach through community projects and fund raising.
   Last semester, New Horizons participated in a Tupperware fund-raiser, which benefits the group’s plans for a SE New Horizons scholarship.
   The group hopes to offer three $250 scholarships in the coming year.
   Qualified students are enrolled in the WINR classes or are WINR alumae and are enrolled at least halftime during the semester they receive the scholarship.
   Applicants will also be asked to provide a letter of recommendation and a personal narrative to qualify for an award.
   The fund-raiser for this semester is a silent auction of baby quilts, which SE WINR members created.
   A portion of the proceeds will go toward continuing scholarship efforts.
   The auction will be in the SE Main Commons Friday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
   Garcia-Luna encourages the women of SE to contact her in regard to signing up for the WINR classes where they will be given the tools to succeed throughout their higher education.
   For more information on New Horizons and SE WINR, contact Garcia Luna at 817-515-3578 or Penny Matthes, SE counselor, at 817-515-3575.