When Niki McCabe decided to go to Coconino Community College (CCC) after high school, it seemed like the natural path for her. During her senior year, she took many dual-enrollment classes and decided to continue her education at CCC. Once on track for her associate’s degree, she learned about CCC2NAU, a program designed to guide transfer NAU-bound students.
Her older brother, Koda McCabe, followed a similar path, but took a little longer to reach his goal. After high school, he went to Fort Lewis College for a year, moved to CCC and then transferred to NAU. Koda said the CCC2NAU program was fairly new when he transferred, and he struggled trying to find help navigating the system. After some time at NAU, he left school and came back a decade later. Now, he works as an adviser for the CCC2NAU program, helping students like Niki and him navigate the move from a two-year college to a four-year university.
“Things are very different now than they used to be,” Koda said. “My experience has helped me teach these new students how to prepare, from understanding the financial piece and how grants work to making sure they ask the right questions.”
CCC2NAU is one of the resources NAU has in place to support transferred students on their journey. Christina Bauer, manager at University Advising, said it’s an innovative approach where advisors are embedded in CCC’s advising program who have knowledge of NAU degrees.
“What that means is that a student can confidently start their program at CCC, know exactly where they are at and transfer at the best moment for them,” Bauer said. “What’s so unique about CCC2NAU is that we are their community college advisors and their transfer advisors throughout the whole process.”
But not all transfer students come from CCC. Some, like Oswaldo Gomez Zamora, transferred from the Valley. Gomez Zamora came to NAU to pursue a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. Now, he is pursuing a master’s degree and works as an advisor for the Transfer Jacks Mentoring program, whose goal is to train mentors so that they offer guidance, friendship and real help navigating college life to transfer students and first-year students alike.
“We are the bridge that connects new students coming into a university of this scale for the first time, whether it is with the mentorship program or just having a familiar face on campus you can talk to,” Gomez Zamora said. “We connect them to different events that are on campus so that they can get involved and build a sense of belonging.”
Building a sense of community can be difficult for transfer students, since they are usually from non-traditional populations. The McCabe siblings and Gomez Zamora agreed that programs like CCC2NAU and Transfer Jacks help students adjust to a four-year university and also help them meet people with similar interests.
Koda, who graduated from NAU in 2024 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and is now pursuing a master’s in leadership in higher education, said he gives all his transfer students from the CCC2NAU program a list of clubs, organizations, hobbies and other resources so they know what is available for them. His sister, Niki, said going to clubs helped her find her community at NAU. She graduated last May with a bachelor’s degree in applied Indigenous studies, and until recently was working as a peer mentor in the Native American Success Center at CCC to help other students adjust.
Gomez Zamora said when he transferred to NAU, he had a notion that he was there to work and not for the college experience. However, he found that having a community to rely on made the experience a better one, showing him he was not alone.
“We are all coming from different places, but the one thing that brings us together is being transfer students,” Gomez Zamora said. “As peer mentors, we encourage students to go to the events, go to clubs, just show up and you will meet your friends.”
Bauer said sometimes transfer students suffer from impostor syndrome, believing a four-year college is not for them. With help from programs like CCC2NAU, they can see the connection and find that they belong.
“I often find that our transfer students have maybe had a couple extra challenges along the way,” Bauer said. “Maybe they started school, had a life event happen and took a pause, or they weren’t sure college was for them. I really love that our transfer students really are that representation that college is for everyone. You know, that there’s a place for you here and an education.”
National Transfer Student Week Oct. 19-23, is a weeklong celebration and recognition of transfer students and the staff and faculty who support them. NAU will host multiple events throughout the week so students can connect with fellow transfer students. For more details on NTSW at NAU, see the events calendar.
Top image: Koda McCabe, Niki McCabe and Oswaldo Gomez Zamora
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu