They benefited from Pitt’s Student Success Hub. Now, they’re giving back.

Kam Chan still remembers what it felt like to arrive at Pitt and wonder if he belonged. Now, he spends part of his week making sure other students know they do.

As a Peer Success Guide, the junior in the Swanson School of Engineering is often one of the first people students meet when they walk into the Student Success Hub , housed in Pitt's Office of the Provost.

Some stop by with simple questions - how to navigate Pitt's systems, where to find help, what offices typically do. But others come in carrying something heavier: uncertainty about whether they're on the right track, said Chan (pictured above).

"Pitt has so many resources, but then people really don't take advantage of them," he said. "They'll hear it in orientation week, and then they'll completely forget about it."

Peer Success Guides help close that gap. They connect students to tutoring, advising, research and career opportunities as well as financial guidance. Sometimes the work is logistical. Other times, it is simply reassuring someone that they are not alone.

A leader in cultivating student success

Provost Joe McCarthy describes the University's long-standing and intentional commitment to helping students reach new possibilities in a recent Forbes Listmaker article. Discover more programs supporting access, affordability and degree completion.

Chan knows how important that reassurance can be.

He arrived at Pitt as a first-generation, low-income student from Pittsburgh. Through the Kessler Scholars Program- a nationally recognized initiative that supports first-generation students through scholarships, advising and programming - Chan found support and community early in his college experience.

"Honestly, without it, I probably wouldn't be able to go to college," Chan said.

The encouragement continued before classes even began. Chan also participated in the Provost Academy , a summer transition program designed to help incoming students build confidence, connections and familiarity with campus expectations before the first semester starts.

"I feel like that really allowed me to understand who I am and how I can grow in ways that I never would have seen before," Chan said. "I'm really giving back to the community that already has given me so much."

Chan's shift from student to mentor happened quickly. During his first semester at Pitt, he received early support from Natasha Williams, assistant director for academic coaching in the Student Success Hub, who helped him craft his resume. This experience helped bolster his confidence.

Getting to know the Peer Success Guides made him realize he wanted to step into that role himself. By his second semester, Chan was a guide himself. Today, when students walk into the Hub - whether they are looking for academic coaching, a workshop through the Student Academic Success Seriesor a connection to a program like Kessler - he's part of the front line.

The Student Success Hub is designed to make that front door easier to find, so students don't have to guess where to go or who to ask.

Junior Nathan Chan credits the Kessler Scholars Program and the Provost Academy with making his time at Pitt possible - and inspiring him to help other students as a Peer Success Guide.

"To me, student success means being able to succeed in your academic, personal and professional goals," said Alivia Melius, a Student Success Team intern in the Office of the Provost.

That work extends beyond undergraduate support. Alivia Melius, a graduate student in the School of Education and an intern on the Office of the Provost's Student Success Team, works with the TRIO McNair Scholars Program, which helps undergraduates prepare for doctoral study and research careers.

"One of the goals of the program is to help provide undergraduate students with the resources they need to pursue graduate school," Melius said.

Like Chan, Melius works hands on with students, checking in throughout the semester and making sure they're reaching their academic goals. She also assists with recruitment and facilitating the mentorship program for the scholars.

Melius said her work alongside the Student Success Team has shaped her understanding of what support can make possible - not just academically, but personally and professionally.

"To me, student success means being able to succeed in your academic, personal and professional goals," Melius said. "An essential part of that is having the resources you need and gaining knowledge and skills that prepare you to thrive as both a student and a graduate."