Virtual Program with The Center for Autism Research and Education at UMass Lowell. Enrolling now for Spring 2025 (February – April ).
Horizons is a college preparation mentoring program for neurodiverse (e.g. autistic students, students with ADHD, learning disabilities etc.) high-school juniors or seniors (or recent graduates) who plan to go to university. The goal of Horizons is to help neurodiverse high school students have a better idea of what university will be like, to feel more confident about going to university, and to be more successful when they transition to university. High school students meet as a group on Zoom once a week for an hour with trained UMass Lowell student mentors. Students can be planning to attend any college or university and do not need to be planning to attend UMass Lowell.
“Horizons Plus” is a mentoring program for neurodiverse university students and is designed to support students as they navigate through their degree. Students can be attending any college or university in the U.S. Students meet as a group online with trained UMass Lowell student mentors to guide and support them through a semester at college/university. Mentees may be freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. The group works together on a range of topics tailored to their needs and questions.
* Each week the Horizons/Horizons Plus mentees decide what topics to discuss for that session, with guidance from the mentors. Break out rooms are utilized to make sure all questions are answered and to provide more tailored mentoring.
Typical topics that come up are:
• Time management and organization strategies
• Problem solving and self-advocacy
• Identifying and accessing supports on campus
• Reducing stress and self-care
• Navigating through your major
• Choosing classes, Finances, Social side of university
* There is a $100 fee for each Spring and Fall session.
For more information visit www.uml.edu/research/autism/services/horizons.aspx or contact Ashleigh_hillier@uml.ed
