Elizabethtown College’s Momentum program continued to positively impact the experience of first-generation college students during a successful 2023-24 academic year. For the 14th straight year, the program has met its goal of a 3.0 or higher average cumulative GPA for Momentum students every semester of each academic year.
The Momentum Class of 2024 Cohort graduated 42 students during this year’s Commencement Exercises many with distinguished honors which include Summa Cum Laude (2), Magna Cum Laude (3), Cum Laude (11), Honors students (4), and Emergent Scholars (5).
“Momentum students bring an exceptional array of skills, perspectives, and ambitions to our campus community,” Elizabethtown College Director of the Momentum Program, Leda Werner said. “Our goal is for students to feel that they are part of a campus community of support that extends with them throughout their years at Etown.”
Student feedback from a year-end survey showcased the direct impact that the program has had on their Etown experience with 89% reporting that Momentum helped them successfully transition into their first year at the College, while 96% stated that they were better off as a college student because of the program.
“Being able to have Momentum as a support and a community is one of the best things about the program,” Kyler Henne ’27 said. “This was the first group I was in and I met some of my first friends through it. The sense of community and belonging in the Momentum program exceeded my expectations.”
The program is designed to prepare students for success in college, assisting them to get the most from their education and become an integral part of the community. Invitations to the Momentum program are extended to students who are first-generation college students and/or meet financial eligibility.
About the Momentum Program
The Momentum Program assists first-generation and Pell Grant-eligible students to succeed academically, socially, and professionally at Elizabethtown College. Momentum provides one-on-one support to ease the college transition process, creating a space where students can find support, celebrate their successes, and cultivate a sense of belonging at Etown.
Each Momentum student is paired with a Kinesis peer mentor – a sophomore, junior, or senior who has also participated in the Momentum Program – for weekly meetings throughout the academic year. The program establishes a sense of community among Momentum students who are agents of change working toward equity, social justice, and peacemaking.
The Momentum Program is partially funded by the Dr. Carl R. ’57 and Mrs. Rachel Keller ’58 Momentum Program Endowment and the Paul Dohner Becker ’68 and Nancy Graybill Becker Endowment Fund for the Momentum Program. Discover more about Etown’s impactful Momentum program.