Though on the surface a recent luncheon at MCC seemed to be only a meet-and-greet gathering, the kick-off celebration also served as the genesis for the College’s newly-formed EMPOWR program.

EMPOWR is funded by the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi.

The Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University was commissioned by the Women’s Foundation to do focus groups on six community college campuses in Mississippi and Meridian was one of the campuses, said Anne Buffington, project director for EMPOWR.

“We were charged with looking at the challenges and the barriers that women have in completing their community college career. It wasn’t intended that way but we found out through these focus groups that non-traditional women, women who are 22 and older, have real specific and unique challenges that some other students don’t have,” Buffington said.

Those challenges came in different forms such as navigating a campus for the first time in a number of years or learning to operate a computer and turning in assignments online. “Things that other people might take for granted,” Buffington said.

Many are single parents who have children and jobs and are trying to figure out how to go to school, how to raise their children and better themselves. Brenda Fortson, one of MCC’s Support Services Coordinators who works with single parents and homemakers, observes women daily who are determined to obtain a degree or certification that will help them improve their lives. “I am really excited about this program because I am already seeing ladies supporting one another. Many of our non-traditional female students are overworked, under-appreciated and unnoticed. They work, attend classes and take care of family and home. Sometimes the pressure can be overwhelming, but this program ensures that participants always have someone to call on, to lean on when times are tough. Talk about super-heroes, I see them every day,” she said.

“We did some research and from there we realized that peer mentoring programs have a lot of positive impact on non-traditional women – just as a support system, as a way to encourage each other,” Buffington said.

For the MCC program, the EMPOWR students are paired into mentors and mentees. Mentors are sophomore students; mentees are freshmen. The students have agreed to a commitment of meeting together for at least three hours a month – whether it is face to face or texting. “We find they actually meet more than that,” Buffington said.

Interactive sessions are held once a month, Buffington said, adding, “So we bring all the mentors and mentees together and we bring in a speaker in where we talk about stress management, career planning, wellness, financial literacy,” she added.