Entering the Career Development Center and walking down the hallway, Sidney Fletcher, program manager for the OnePack Empowered program, leads a student to a special coaching room complete with soundproof walls, soft chairs and lower lighting. This is where a OnePack Empowered student’s meeting with Fletcher begins — preparing them for both college and their future.

OnePack Empowered is a new initiative that aims to support and empower students with executive functioning challenges and those who are neurodivergent. The initiative was founded from a $1.25 million donation from football coach Dave Doeren and his wife, Sara.

Fletcher said this support is important since neurodivergent students often face challenges in school that others do not.

“They acknowledge that this is where the neurodivergent capacity or experienced identity comes into place because they recognize that a lot of the challenges that they’re experiencing aren’t immediately faced by others in the same classroom setting,” Fletcher said.

Kesha Reed, associate vice chancellor and associate dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, said the goal of the initiative is to approach support individually.

“The goal is to get those students one-on-one support,” Reed said. “So maybe academic planning to look at what their skills are, where their areas of growth may be, but in a one-on-one setting.”

Fletcher said he meets weekly with each student in the OnePack Empowered program’s coaching room, which is specifically designed for neurodivergent students’ needs.

“These meetings are conducted, and they’re a one-on-one meeting held within our coaching room here, which is designed to take into account people that may have sensory challenges or concerns,” Fletcher said. “So we intentionally go for a lower light setting. We try to provide comfortable seating, while also removing any barriers that could pose a hindrance or distractions to engaging in personal, sometimes hard-to-have conversations.”

These meetings cover a range of topics, from time management to confidence and starting tasks. Fletcher said sessions could sometimes just focus on motivating students and helping them realize their abilities.

“Some of these sessions at times are just helping to reframe a particular situation and just kind of recognizing that it’s not as dire as it initially seems,” Fletcher said. “So just helping the student to discover that they do have the skills inside themself, such as, ‘Let me see how you craft this email, I’ll provide guidance, but it’s you doing all the work.’ I’m here just to serve as that motivator and a guide of sorts.”

Beyond motivation, time management and confidence, OnePack Empowered prioritizes helping students with career skills.

“We’re often able to help students, whether we’re looking to develop their interviewing skills, their resume skills, covered motor skills or even if they’re searching for employment or internship,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher helps students connect with other organizations and parts of campus that can better assist them if OnePack Empowered doesn’t have the particular resources to help.

“We want to help students to learn how to identify, prioritize and utilize on-campus resources,” Fletcher said. “So a lot of this program, as well as raising awareness, is understanding that even if our program is unable to meet a specific need, such as a disordered resource office, this is the resource that’s going to meet that need for you. And just having, directly, like my position myself directly reaching out to the disordered resource office, okay, there’s a student that needs to connect with you.”

While support is the biggest priority of OnePack Empowered, community is another priority of the initiative, Fletcher said.

“We are looking to build in some of the community-building pieces such as having a special topics guest speaker come, whether it’s a presentation on time management skills or emotional regulation, in addition to having different employers come and talk about different positions available, especially companies that are actively seeking to hire neurodivergent talent,” Fletcher said. “And then a third component we’re looking to go in as well is just celebration. You know, our game and pizza nights.”

Fletcher said OnePack Empowered intends to stay small to continue individual support. The program started with 15 students in the spring. Fletcher said OnePack Empowered will accept another 15 students in the fall, expanding the program to 30 students. Reed said the program’s goal is a maximum of 50 students.

Kelly Laraway, director of employer relations at the Career Development Center, said even if the program stays small, she hopes it can impact the campus as a whole, starting with providing resources at career fairs. As part of the program, the CHASS career fair in Talley featured a decompression space for students to escape the bustle and noise of the fair.

“Even if it’s helping one or two or five students, you know, those are five students that might not have otherwise even come to the career fair, or would have left the career fair without feeling a sense of self-regulation around that career,” Laraway said.

Students interested in joining OnePack Empowered can visit the initiative’s website and complete its Student Interest Form.