Greenwich High School's Class of 2026 AVID graduates spent two weeks this summer learning to navigate college life before ever setting foot on campus, thanks to the Greenwich Alliance for Education's fourth annual Transition to College program.

The program, known as T2C, prepares first-generation college students for what the Alliance calls the "hidden curriculum" of higher education: unwritten academic, social and financial norms that students without college-educated parents often discover the hard way.

This summer's cohort, which included students Brenda Galbier, Katherine Morocho Alban, Kimberly Morocho and Dilailah Rui, worked through sessions on study skills, campus safety, mental health, financial literacy, career preparation and interviewing, Greenwich Free Press reported.

GHS AVID alumni already in college returned as peer mentors, leading sessions and helping recent graduates polish their LinkedIn profiles. The model puts students face-to-face with someone who sat in their seat a year or two earlier.

The support doesn't end in August.

"We know persistence into your second year of college is one of the greatest indicators of college graduation," AVID SUCCESS Program Director Trish Rohr said on the AVID Open Access podcast in February 2025, explaining why the Alliance's support extends well beyond the summer sessions. "And so, we continue through our first year with mentorship."

The Alliance pays T2C participants for their time during the program, acknowledging that many are giving up summer work hours. Year-round, students also have access to open office hours, individual coaching, alumni networking and paid internships, according to the Alliance's program page.

Community partners pitched in on the 2026 sessions. Kaitlyn Carlucci from The First Bank of Greenwich taught budgeting. Ingrid Gillespie from Liberation Programs led a session on drug and alcohol risks on campus. Ivonne Zucco, a people and culture consultant, also presented. The Greenwich Department of Human Services and Greenwich United Way provided financial support.

The Alliance brought AVID to Greenwich Public Schools in 2008. About 20% of GPS students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure Executive Director Julie Faryniarz cited on the AVID Open Access podcast in February 2025 to underscore that need in the district runs deeper than the town's affluent reputation suggests.

The program's track record is strong: 100% of past T2C participants said they would recommend it to future AVID graduates, and 96% rated the content highly relevant. In the 2025-26 school year, 60 AVID graduates attending college shared $83,000 in AVID SUCCESS scholarships, part of more than $1.1 million the Alliance has awarded since the scholarship program began.