The specialists were deployed across the campus, and they have built relationships while connecting students with a wide variety of resources.
When Texas Tech University decided to design a new position within its student-support framework, it was with one overarching idea in mind: Success.
For the student and for the institution.
Simply put, success translates into more students breaking the tape at the commencement finish line and earning a diploma. In turn, those newly minted graduates become enthusiastic ambassadors for the Texas Tech brand in the world, where word-of-mouth recommendations about outstanding educational experiences carry tremendous weight.
For Texas Tech, that meant creating a job that by its very nature would require someone who could meet all needs that arise on a college campus, answering questions, uncovering resources and serving as a primary and authoritative point of contact.
Best of all, people in this position would ensure no student was consigned to the “Texas Tech shuffle,” a euphemism for what happened when students inadvertently bounced from department to department in search of a needle-like answer somewhere among the campus haystacks.
Say hello to the Raider Success Hub, a student-centric resource that includes access to the university’s Student Success Specialists. This cadre of devoted professionals comprises 22 people who, since launching in the spring 2023 semester, have made a substantial impact on Texas Tech’s student body in a relatively short amount of time.
For an idea of their influence, specialists have hosted almost 2,000 student appointments since the Raider Success Hub debuted, and they have responded to more than 13,000 alerts during that same span. Over the previous academic year, they met with more than 1,000 students.
“I love the idea of helping a student succeed,” said Viviana Gomez, a specialist embedded within the College of Arts & Sciences. “I believe we are essential for students to be successful not only in the classroom, but also outside of it. We are the person a student can come see if they need someone to talk to – not just for their academics.”
Her Holden Hall office is decorated in a way that leaves visitors with no doubt they have stepped into Red Raider country. Red and black virtually saturates every corner, resulting in a welcoming vibe that Viviana believes is critical to student comfort.
She is among the original cohort of success specialists, trained to be helpful navigators during a student’s Texas Tech journey and equipped with a vast knowledge of how the campus works. Success specialists are not academic advisers, although their conversations with students may touch on classroom challenges.
Instead, they are similar to concierges, overflowing with an assortment of recommendations for how students can best complete their educational requirements and overcome whatever turbulence might try to destabilize their efforts along the way.
“We want to help students get where they want to go,” said Melanie Lindsey, a success specialist inside the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering. “I want students to know when they come in here, this is a safe space. I want it to be a very positive experience for students.”
During the course of a typical day, success specialists might wear many hats, all of which require the deft skill of building trust. Specialists are privy to moments of vulnerability, mountaintops of achievement, valleys of despair and seasons of frustration – sometimes all before the lunch hour.
Despite the emotional ebb and flow, they have a genuine passion for their job, seeing themselves as advocates, and also emphasizing how success happens when students take advantage of the specialists’ wide-ranging expertise.
“Students can be academically prepared for college, but the transition to college brings a lot of areas together,” said Rachel Hoover, Texas Tech’s student success manager who oversees the specialists. “There can be a lot of stress, and just having someone who can tell them, ‘OK, I hear what you’re saying. Let’s make an appointment and see what we can do about it’ is meaningful.”
Giving Back to the Red Raider Family
Specialists also know their job is rewarding in powerfully demonstrable ways. Sprinkled between the notes of gratitude that land on their desks and populate their inboxes are students dropping by with life updates and progress reports. One smile of accomplishment breathes affirmation into their lives.
“I am the happiest in this job when a student comes back to my office and talks about how they are getting better grades in chemistry,” Viviana said, “or when they thank me for connecting them with the Learning Center or Supplemental Instruction. There have been students who shared about food insecurity and found Raider Relief. They feel helped.”
For Viviana, serving as a success specialist is more than a job. She sees it as a way to give back. After all, she considers herself a Texas Tech success story. Hence, all the red and black dominating her office.
She is a native of Colombia whose husband, Alejandro Echeverry, came to Texas Tech as an international student more than 20 years ago and is now an associate professor of practice with the Department of Animal & Food Sciences in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.
In 2016, she earned her master’s degree in what is now Human Development & Family Sciences from the College of Health & Human Sciences. As a result, she has a keen understanding of the swirling constellation of issues students face today, and she can talk them through in English or Spanish, depending on which language the student is more comfortable in.
“Texas Tech gave me everything to be successful,” she said. “I consider myself a member of the Red Raider family, and I want to show that to students. I want them to see that everything is possible if they work hard, if they connect, if they listen to instructors, if they follow their advice, have goals and work to achieve them.
“I understand the struggles they are going through. I felt overwhelmed at times when I was a student, but I was able to get the proper advice and graduate. When students come to my office, I want them to feel safe and to see that I love Texas Tech and that I am a proud Red Raider.”
Rachel explained how Viviana’s relentless positive energy quickly wins students over. As they arrive on campus, they need an ally who can help shepherd them around a busy and bustling hub of activity.
Today’s students may reach Texas Tech with fewer questions, thanks to the university’s emphasis on communicating expectations prior to the start of an academic year, but more times than not, they still will need someone knowledgeable in all things Texas Tech.
“Viviana really shines when it comes to getting out there and connecting with students,” Rachel said. “She cares very deeply about her work, and that comes through the minute you walk in her office. She is organized. She is detailed, and she does everything she can to ensure our students have the best experience.”
Guiding Students During Their Journey
Melanie also has a strong Texas Tech pedigree, helping coordinate articulation agreements with other institutions while working in eLearning & Academic Partnerships. When she saw the student success specialist job posting, she was immediately attracted to the opportunity.
“I saw it as a chance to be the point person for students,” she said. “They didn’t really have that before. The most important thing we do is direct them. We listen to them and then point them to the appropriate resources on campus. We don’t have all the answers, but we can walk them where they need to be and make sure they are in the right hands.”
Her Holden Hall office is charming in a different way from Viviana’s. Rather than Red Raider paraphernalia adorning every nook and cranny, she has a sizable collection of tidbits and trinkets to keep the hands of fidgety students occupied while they converse.
“She is really thoughtful about making students comfortable,” Rachel said. “She is very prepared for every student meeting. She does her research and keeps thorough notes, and she does a lot of follow-through as far as keeping up with them.”
Melanie sees herself as part of a wide offering of Texas Tech resources and considers it her responsibility to smooth the path of students throughout their days on campus. Like all specialists, she commits a lot of time to one-on-one appointments, beginning at Red Raider Orientation sessions.
While her calendar is always busy, it is a little fuller at the start of a semester, around midterms and as the semester winds down. These can be vital points of contact for crisis intervention as students confront unexpected academic hurdles or personal tragedies that knock them for a loop.
“I have students who come in and they just want to chit-chat,” she said. “They want someone to bounce things off. And then I have some who are in their last semester before they graduate and may not graduate because of grades. We hear the good, the bad and everything in between.”
The specialists remind students that they always have someone in their corner, even when it may not look like it. They are a resource that is literally only a click away, and many times, it is the specialists who take the initiative and check in on students via email.
“I firmly believe our student success program is great because we offer support to students in so many ways,” Viviana said. “I think our role has been recognized and accepted across campus, and we are essential for a student’s well-being and success.”
It’s that sense of purpose that energizes the specialists and tells them what they do makes a difference. The little connections add up over time, and before they know it, they have had a hand in changing more than a few life trajectories – a special talent not everyone possesses.
“I absolutely love what I do,” Melanie said. “When I wake up, I am ready to go to work, and I am excited for what the day holds. Sure, there are moments when it’s stressful, but at the end of every day, I feel great because I have seen the success stories firsthand.”