Crucial connections using research-proven coaching methodology

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When Raquel Sulton was a high school senior in Peoria, Illinois, what should have been one of the most exciting times of her life was anything but. “I graduated high school. But that was a really rough year for me. I was pregnant when I graduated and didn’t know which way I was going to go. So I just immediately jumped into the workforce and put college on the back burner. Then COVID hit and I decided, okay, I have to go back to school.”

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Originally, she wanted to be a lawyer. “My grandmother always admired the fact that I was stubborn and always stood up for what I believed in, so she would tell me that I would make a great lawyer.” But the universe had other plans. “After I graduated from high school, my grandparents’ health started to decline. My grandfather was on dialysis and had heart issues. My grandmother suffered from seizures. So I started taking care of them.” 

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As their caregiver, Raquel took them to doctor’s appointments, did their laundry, picked up groceries and helped them cook. As she explains it, after they both passed away, the impetus to go to law school was gone. “I liked what I was doing taking care of them,” she says. So a few months later, she enrolled at Illinois Central College (ICC) in the Certified Nurse Assistant program.

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Connections that count

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At ICC, Raquel was connected to Natalie Jou, one of the school’s Student Success Advisors who has been trained in InsideTrack’s coaching methodology as a result of a multi-year training and development partnership between InsideTrack and ICC. Raquel says, “I had just moved back to Illinois from Georgia, where I worked and took care of my grandparents. It was a big move to pull my kids out of school and come back here and I was kind of up-in-the-air and frustrated. But once I started working with Natalie, she gave me encouragement. She was like, ‘It’s fine, don’t worry about it. We’ll take it a step at a time. It doesn’t matter if you want to take one class or if you want to take six. We’ll figure it out and get you where you need to be.’ “

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A career path with many options

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As the Student Success Advisor who works with students in the health sciences cluster, Natalie was well-versed in helping students looking for careers in health care. Initially, all of Raquel’s conversations with Natalie were over email. “So the first time we sat down and talked,” Raquel remembers, “she asked me what my goals were and what I was thinking about doing. I told her I was thinking about being a nurse and she pulled out the LPN paperwork and the RN paperwork and we went down the list for each one, figuring out what I needed and what I already had. Whatever I wanted to do, Natalie was going to help me and support me through that decision.” 

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"She always has an answer to anything I’m upset about. That makes going to school even more worth it. Because she’s supportive and so helpful, it makes it easier to navigate through class and college life.”
– Raquel Sulton, Student, Illinois Central College

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“I talk to Natalie about a lot of stuff,” she says. “Sometimes it’s not even about school — I just need someone to talk to. We’ve talked about me possibly going to Saint Francis College of Nursing. She gives me encouragement and never lets me be too hard on myself. Even when I’m like, ‘Natalie, I can’t do this. I’m done and over with it.’ She says ‘Nope, you’re fine, we just have to come up with a new plan.’ She always has an answer to anything I’m upset about. That makes going to school even more worth it. Because she’s supportive and so helpful, it makes it easier to navigate through class and college life.” Now, all that support has paid off. Raquel has been accepted at the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing and is finishing up her last two semesters at ICC. 

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Sustaining impact through coaching

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As Natalie explains it, the InsideTrack coaching training gave her a variety of valuable tools that she can incorporate every day into her advising sessions with students. “I’m able to go beyond planning schedules and enrolling,” she says, “to really talking with students about what’s going on in their life — things that impact them as a student. It’s a more holistic approach to be able to work with students as people, not just focusing on academics.”

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“I’m able to go beyond planning schedules and enrolling,” she says, “to really talking with students about what’s going on in their life — things that impact them as a student. It’s a more holistic approach to be able to work with students as people, not just focusing on academics.”
– Natalie Jou, Student Success Advisor, Illinois Central College

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She says that one of the most valuable things about the coaching training was learning how to incorporate bits and pieces of coaching methodology into her work as an advisor — like explaining her role to students and summarizing the conversation at the end of an appointment, paving the way for a follow-up meeting. “The tools I use the most are summarizing and going over next steps, making sure the student has a quick recap of what we covered and a clear list of next steps.” Natalie says it means a lot to know that she has an impact on the students she works with, improving their ability to be successful and reach their goals.

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Mutual admiration, mutual commitment

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As Natalie explains, she has worked on a variety of topics with Raquel — both school-related as well as managing work, family and commitment outside of school. “We talked a lot early on about studying strategies and time management, setting a study schedule and routine that works for her life. But there have also been times when Raquel has just wanted to talk about something that’s going on at work and just process that with someone. I really admire her determination and not ever wanting to give up or keep working towards the goals she wants. To have the opportunity to work with Raquel and really see this progress and see her grow in her ability to manage school with life shows me I’m having an impact.”

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"I really admire her determination and not ever wanting to give up or keep working towards the goals she wants. To have the opportunity to work with Raquel and really see this progress and see her grow in her ability to manage school with life shows me I’m having an impact.”
– Natalie Jou, Student Success Advisor, Illinois Central College

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“I always admire Natalie’s honesty,” Raquel says in response, “even if it’s something I might not completely want to hear. I always appreciate that she’s honest with me and doesn’t make me feel bad about the decisions I make. She understands college and the struggles and the difficulties. So having Natalie there means a lot to me. I told her that if I get married, she’s invited to the wedding!”

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Want to learn even more about the power of coaching at Illinois Central College? In our comprehensive case study, see how ICC worked with InsideTrack to implement two major student support goals: boosting their retention rates through direct coaching and redesigning their advising department to offer holistic student support.