2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Creating Pathways of Belonging and Achievement: Lessons from WPI’s PASS-CS Program (Experience)

Presented at Minorities in Engineering Division(MIND) Technical Session 3

At Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), we have spent the past decade developing programs that help students from low-income and first-generation backgrounds find their footing and thrive in STEM. In this paper, we reflect on what we have learned from implementing the Path to Achieving Success and Sense of Belonging in Computer Science (PASS-CS) program, which is a National Science Foundation S-STEM founded program. PASS-CS brings together several supports mechanism for students: a summer mini-bridge that helps students prepare academically and socially for college, shared course schedules that keep cohorts together in key classes, near-peer study groups, mentoring from both faculty and peers, and professional development opportunities that help students begin to see themselves in STEM careers. From our first year of implementation, three themes stand out. Early cohort-building experiences help students feel connected and part of a community. Structured academic supports like study groups and mentoring strengthen both confidence and performance in first-year calculus and programming courses. And consistent mentoring relationships with faculty and peers provides guidance and accountability as students navigate college life. Overall, we found that when students feel connected and supported, their academic success tends to follow. In this paper we share the challenges we encountered, the lessons we learned, and how this work continues to evolve.

Authors

Crystal H. Brown http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2300-6774 Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

Crystal H. Brown is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where her work focuses on inclusivity, governance, policy, and research methods. She serves as a co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) on the National Science Foundation–funded PASS-CS grant, where she leads the research components of the project. She designs and implements strategies to assess and measure student success and program impact. In the context of this work, her research combines program development with computational social science approaches to better understand and support student success among low-income populations in science and computing in higher education.
Francesca Bernardi Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

Francesca Bernardi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where she is also affiliated with Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies. Francesca received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 and then spent two years as a Dean's Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Mathematics at Florida State University. While at UNC Chapel Hill, she also received a Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies focusing on equity and justice in STEM. Francesca co-founded Girls Talk Math, a free STEM and media camp for high school girls, now hosted on the campus of five US higher education institutions. She has been involved with the PASS-CS program since its inception and now serves as the Lead of Sophomore Cohort programming.
Matthew Peter Ahrens Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Erin Solovey http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2423-4963 Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Dr. Rodica Neamtu Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

Rodica Neamtu is a Professor of Teaching in the Computer Science Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She serves as the PI of the NSF S-STEM grant PASS-CS (Path to Achieving Academic Success and Sense of Belonging in Computer Science). She is also the co-founder and co-director of the Bucharest Project Center. Rodica conducts research that investigates how to develop AI-centered frameworks at the confluence of theoretical computer science and application domains like materials science, medicine, neuroscience, economics, and complex decision making.
Rodica works every year with students engaged in collaborations with non-profit organizations that aim to offer practical solutions to global problems. This work enables her to contribute to building a strong connection between the two cultures that she is deeply anchored in. Rodica is committed to help students explore other cultures, understand the issues that they are facing, and become part of impactful initiatives to mitigate them.
With her teaching experience in various academic institutions, Rodica is committed to use her love and talent for teaching and research to empower others through education to make a difference in the world.
Prof. Lane Harrison http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-2799 Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Debra Boucher Worcester Polytechnic Institute [biography]

Debra L. Boucher serves as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she oversees programs that advance student success, equity, and access in higher education. She serves as co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) on the National Science Foundation–funded PASS-CS grant, which supports Pell-eligible, first-generation students pursuing Computer Science degrees. With a background spanning academic advising, student success initiatives, and program development at both community college and university levels, Debra brings a practitioner's lens to the intersection of institutional support and student belonging. Her work is grounded in a commitment to dismantling barriers and building pathways for students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in STEM.
Keenan Kidwell Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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