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DECATUR, Ill. – The stress and anxiety a first-year student feels leaving home for the first time and coming to a new university can be a challenge, but for the 17 incoming first-year students taking part in the EDGE+ (Excellence Developed Through Growth & Experience) program this summer, they will have a leg up on their counterparts when classes begin. 

While the regular gives students a one-week course, the EDGE+ students came to Millikin five weeks before the beginning of the fall semester and are gaining valuable experience in the classroom, building friendships and professional networks with fellow first-year students and faculty and learning all about the college experience. 

“My main goal for EDGE+ is to expose students to all parts of Millikin and ease the transition as much as possible. I want students to get comfortable with MU and our staff, so they are ready to go when the school year starts,” Millikin Associate Director of Student Success Gary Cecil said. “EDGE+ is hands-on learning and exposure, with a little bit more of a deeper dive into Millikin University experience.”

First-year Exploratory Studies student Letty Williams has enjoyed her time on the quiet Millikin campus before the fall semester begins.

“I enjoy meeting new people and getting to live in the dorms. We are getting more comfortable learning about college life because this is a huge step for us,” Letty said. “We’ve left our home and we are learning our independence. I like that the program engages us all together and that we are all friends. We feel like a close-knit family together these next four years.”

The expanded EDGE+ program was made possible by a grant from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) through the .

Typical days include morning classroom sessions, afternoon guest speakers and group activities in the evenings and on weekends, assisted by experienced Millikin students who serve as EDGE mentors.

EDGE mentor Reed Pierson, a junior Human Services major, is mentoring for her second year and believes the students are getting a solid start to their college careers. 

“I think the program will help them in the long run and they will be able to understand how to be a college student. I would recommend it for any students who can do it,” Reed said. “The students have all come out of their shells over the weeks. At first, some wouldn’t talk, but now they are all loud because they are really good friends.”

First-year student Jaylon Dowell, originally from Memphis, Tenn., has had a busy summer balancing the EDGE+ program and summer workouts for the Big Blue football team. His days start at 6 a.m., and he’s busy doing his coursework and studying the playbook. 

“(Being in the EDGE+ program,) we have a head start over the other first-year students coming to Millikin. We are accustomed to college and how to do things,” Jaylon said. “This program is good for people who might be homesick coming to college. This program gets you accustomed to how school is going to go. Some people might have anxiety about it, and this program can ease them into college with a smaller group first.”

Devyn Ezell is a first-year Visual Media student from Shelbyville, Ill., and he is enjoying his time in the EDGE+ program and looking forward to digging into his studies when classes start on Aug. 21.

“I came to Millikin not so much to get a job and make money but because I wanted to learn about my passion. I’m looking forward to doing what I love, and if I can do that, I know I will do well in life,” Devyn said. “I think the program has gone well, and there is always that feeling that the teachers are there for us and we are all here for each other as well.”