College may not be for everybody, but those who start deserve a fighting chance to finish. Yet for many Floridians, adult commitments get in the way. That’s why a program in Tampa Bay that helps students complete their journey should be modeled and expanded statewide. Tansheka Riggens first enrolled at St. Petersburg College in 2003. Her dreams of becoming a nurse stalled over two decades as .
Every few months for the past five years, Matt Smith would send another email to Tansheka Riggens: “Just checking in.” or “Hope your week is going well so far!” Sometimes he was more direct: “Are you having trouble figuring out how to juggle school, work and family life?” Most months, Riggens would send the email to her trash folder. She’d first enrolled at St. Petersburg College in 2003 .