Her new guide offers practical support for first-generation, underrepresented, and college-bound students preparing for academic success
Nationwide — Dr. Kortnee Burrell, an African American woman educator, retention expert, student success strategist, and author, has released The College Success System: How to Navigate College with Strategy, Resilience, and Purpose, a new college success guide designed to help students approach higher education with greater clarity, confidence, and practical direction. The release is especially relevant to the Black community as many Black students, first-generation students, adult learners, and underrepresented students continue to navigate academic, financial, social, and institutional barriers while pursuing higher education.
The guide introduces a practical framework to help students take control of their academic journey, make informed decisions, and continue progressing toward their degree. It focuses on strategies students can use to strengthen academic habits, manage time effectively, use campus resources, build relationships with professors and advisors, set goals, and connect their college experience to future career plans.
“I wrote this guide because too many students enter college with ambition but without a clear system for navigating the academic, social, and institutional challenges that come with the journey,” said Dr. Burrell. “My goal is to give students practical guidance they can use before they feel lost, discouraged, or disconnected.”
Dr. Burrell developed the guide from her work supporting students across diverse academic experiences, including first-generation students, students with disabilities, underrepresented students, and students from a wide range of academic and personal backgrounds. The guide is grounded in the Leap-Resilience Student Success Framework and reflects strategies used through Dr. Burrell’s Partners for Success Program, which supported students in building structure, accountability, confidence, and persistence.
“As a first-generation college student, I often needed additional support while navigating the college experience and adjusting to academic expectations,” said Diana R., a Partners for Success Program participant. “Dr. Burrell’s program provided encouragement, structure, and guidance that helped me remain committed to my goals throughout the academic year.”
The College Success System is intended for high school seniors preparing for college, current college students, adult learners returning to school, families seeking a meaningful graduation gift, and educators or programs that support college readiness, retention, and student persistence.
The College Success System: How to Navigate College with Strategy, Resilience, and Purpose is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookShop.org, and is also available through IngramSpark’s global distribution network for colleges, universities, libraries, bookstores, and other institutional purchasers.
For more information about Dr. Kortnee Burrell, Leap-Resilience LLC, or The College Success System, visit Leap-Resilence.com
(Note to Editors: The accompanying photo features Dr. Kortnee Burrell alongside her newly released guide, The College Success System: How to Navigate College with Strategy, Resilience, and Purpose, and her doctoral diploma.)
About
Dr. Kortnee Burrell is an educator, author, retention expert, student success strategist, and the Founder and CEO of Leap-Resilience LLC. She helps students, families, educators, and organizations navigate higher education through practical strategies focused on college readiness, academic persistence, student retention, resilience, and purposeful goal setting.
For press inquiries, contact admin@leap-resilience.com or (518) 308-8870