The purpose of the assessment is to provide students with a personalized resilience plan, strategies for overcoming setbacks and self-doubt, a new perspective on failure and growth, and confidence to keep moving forward.
Data collected from the Student Experience Committee (SEC) in Fall 2025 influenced “F” This: Conquering Fear of Failure. Students were prompted to respond anonymously to “What are your fears/concerns [about school]?” During the first semester of this student activation, fear of failure was the overwhelming response.
Institutional persistence data by Subject/Class Student Performance Metrics dashboard shows roughly 60% of students are retained after the first semester. The following year, roughly 40% are retained. While persistence and retention are multi-faceted (financial, personal, transfer, etc), addressing fear and self-doubt is essential to closing these persistence gaps. To interrupt this trend, the assessment proactively faces this fear, normalizes these concerns, and helps students develop resilience strategies to push past self-doubt and stay enrolled.
To maximize student reach and streamline institutional resources, SEC partnered with the existing Roar to Success (RTS) student retention programming to kickoff the Fall 2026 series with “F” This: Conquering Fear of Failure. This collaborative event reframed failure as an essential component of learning while equipping students with practical strategies to overcome fear-induced risk aversion. This interactive workshop explored how setbacks shape our journeys. We heard real stories from peers and learned practical strategies for bouncing back when things don't go as planned.
To optimize accessibility, the session was delivered in a hybrid format in the Estrella Conference Center and Webex. Attendance was tracked using a Google Form. To drive engagement and ongoing event attendance, participants received incentives (lunch and door prizes) and were entered into a $350 scholarship drawing. Attendance at future RTS workshops will yield additional entries into the scholarship drawing at the end of the semester.
Before the session began, participants watched a slide show of notable figures that demonstrated their failures and how they persevered. Co-facilitated by Dean of Student Affairs Isaac Torres and Arts and Composition Faculty Tracy Tanner, the workshop integrated reflective and interactive activities. One such activity involved posting anonymous notes to a “Failure Wall.” The presenters asked students to think about failures or fears of failure -- they could be personal, academic, or professional. Facilitators guided students through reframing cognitive distortions (“the stories we tell ourselves”) versus factual realities. Participants also evaluated fixed vs. growth mindsets through a real-world academic scenario (e.g., navigating a failed exam after rigorous studying). The workshop emphasized actionable resilience strategies: try again, change the approach, ask for help, choose another path. Choosing a response is more important than letting fear stop you from moving forward. The main takeaway was that the original plan failed. You didn’t.
Students left the session with a “When-Things-Go Sideways Plan” and resources that can help when they get stuck.
The Fall 2026 kickoff event drew 82 students who checked-in using a Google Form. Of the 82 students who checked in, 3 students joined online. The average attendance for RTS sessions during FY26 generated 32 attendees. To drive the attendance, Tracy Tanner integrated participation from her ENH 251 Mythology class, which accounted for 24 students. Upgrading incentives such as lunch and door prizes may have driven overall attendance. In FY26, snacks were provided, but not lunch.
Of the 82 students who checked in, some left after having lunch and before the session began. However, many stayed for the duration. At the end of the event, students completed a feedback survey via Google Form; however, only 38 submitted the form. Despite survey drop-off relative to initial check-ins, the feedback demonstrates exceptionally high efficacy for student motivation and persistence among engaged participants. Of those who responded, all of the students “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that as a result of the session, they felt more motivated to continue their college journey. Respondents also felt more committed to staying in college.
As part of the “Failure Wall” exercise, participant responses centered around 5 main themes: fear of failing others, failing themselves, career, finances, and uncertainty. The fear of failure extends beyond the classroom: it embodies one’s sense of self. Providing opportunities to share experiences, normalize these feelings, and confront their fears brought a sense of belonging among the group. As one student shared on the feedback survey, the session “helped me realize how many people feel scared and nervous, not just me. [I] learned helpful tips on how to reshape my thinking that will help me be more successful through my classes and studies.”
Students had an opportunity to share feedback related to how the session impacted their journey as a student. A few responses were as follows:
- Failure is normal, and it is ok, what isn’t ok is the story you tell yourself. The only place to go from failure is to win. I now truly understand that if I fail at [sic] things, I can still succeed.
- Made me realize failure isn’t where you stop it’s where you start and keep going
- It really changed my mindset of failure and I have a better idea on how to cope with failure and when to ask for help.
- To never let your inner limitations, background, and past mistakes define the potential that’s within you.
In Fall 2025 semester, the Student Experience Committee (SEC) provided opportunities for students to share feedback anonymously to prompts placed across Estrella Mountain Community College’s (EMCC) campus. One of the prompts was “What are your fears/concerns [about school]?” Students overwhelmingly responded that they have a fear of failure. Whether this is a real or perceived concept, it shapes students’ minds and can place a barrier in overcoming challenges. In collaboration with Roar to Success (RTS) programming, which also launched in Fall 2025, presenters designed “F” This: Conquering Fear of Failure in response. This proactive intervention normalized failure and provided resilience strategies when failures happen. One of the core concepts was reframing how failure can lead to success.
Additional Contributors: Catherine Khamo, Jaylen Stanley, Ashley Jenkins, Paloma Alvarado, Aaron Jenkins, and Todd “TJ” Porter, Gerniah Liburd, and Kathy Schutt