Photo caption: Kattie Sacia, Pam Zimmerman, and Melanie Vickmark serve as the College Opportunity Program team at Southeast.
Sweet news and a sweet treat: College Opportunity Program extended to 2027
By Katryn Conlin for the Winona Daily News
May 2, 2025
In April, Pam Zimmerman and Kattie Sacia showed up at Winona Senior High School with some sweet news and a sweet treat.
As College Opportunity Program navigators from Minnesota State College Southeast, they were there to tell seniors in the Class of 2025 that the program has been extended for them -- from 35 to 70 credits. Plus, their eligibility has been extended another year, through Spring semester of 2027.
"We went into the senior advisory classes and gave them the news and a sweet treat -- cookies! We only had 40 minutes and we literally ran around the building to get into five classrooms," said Pam Zimmerman.
"It really was sweet news to tell them about the 70 credits that they could receive from the College Opportunity Program investors and Minnesota State College Southeast," said Kattie Sacia.
Initially funded through 2026, the extension to the College Opportunity Program means that eligible 2025 graduates can now receive two years at Minnesota State College Southeast tuition free.
That's a savings for the students and their families of up to $15,000 in tuition and fees. They also get up to $1000 towards the cost of books, tools, supplies and materials.
Much more than free tuition
But the College Opportunity Program has always been about more than providing money for college. Students involved in the program work with navigators Sacia and Zimmerman on every aspect of the admissions and registration process.
The navigators go to the high schools on a regular basis to meet students where they are. "We're right there in their high schools, helping them one hundred percent of the way," said Zimmerman.
"Being able to create the connection with high school students, teachers, counselors, and administration has been so crucial to the success of the program," Sacia said.
Once enrolled, students have access to a dedicated academic coaching service with Melanie Vickmark.
"I'm their point person once they're here at Southeast," Vickmark said. "I'm here to help connect them to the resources they need - whether it's academics, financial aid, or basic needs support."
Students reach out to her by text, phone, email, and Zoom. "They're welcome to drop in and ask me questions any time. Sometimes we talk about academics, sometimes we just have conversations -whatever they need."
Students speak out
Katie Pflughoeft has worked closely with Vickmark throughout her two years at Southeast. A 2023 graduate of Winona Senior High School, she was in the very first group of Winona students to participate in the program.
"I text Melanie, probably every day!" she said, holding up her phone to display a lengthy text thread. "I can ask her anything, like when am I supposed to pick up my cap and gown, when is the building open, when can I go pick up books. If she doesn't know the answer, she'll find it out for me."
Pflughoeft is graduating with high honors in Liberal Arts and Sciences, planning to transfer to the University of Minnesota in the fall and major in Art History. With her interest in fine art restoration, she is hoping to find an internship at a museum.
"Originally I was going to try and go to a private art college in the Cities, but I realized it was really expensive," she said. "When I learned about the College Opportunity Program, I decided to get my first two years of college credits at Southeast and save up money instead of taking out loans."
Her friend Carlos Serna Pasillas also graduated from Winona Senior High School in 2023 and took advantage of the program to enroll at Southeast.
He had always planned to attend two years at Southeast before transferring to another university for a bachelor's degree. He is currently studying nursing and business administration, graduating with certificates in Bookkeeping and Business Systems in May.
Serna Pasillas said that having access to the College Opportunity Program helped him study multiple programs that he is enthusiastic about. He has also benefitted from working with an academic coach.
"I took advantage of these services because I always had questions about my programs and the courses I needed to succeed," Serna Pasillas said. "Melanie was the one that has helped me since day one and I have asked for her help ever since."
"All the pieces together are what create the success of this program - program navigators, academic coaching, and free tuition," said Sacia. "We have to thank the College Opportunity Program investors, because they really believed in this model, and that is why we have had success with this group of students."