{"id":53203,"date":"2026-07-10T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T18:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=53203"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T18:23:06","slug":"from-acc-to-the-ivy-league-claire-hobbs-helps-students-reach-top-tier-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/07\/10\/from-acc-to-the-ivy-league-claire-hobbs-helps-students-reach-top-tier-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"From ACC to the Ivy League: Claire Hobbs Helps Students Reach Top-Tier Universities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\n

When several Austin Community College District (ACC) Honors Program students earned admission to some of the nation\u2019s most selective universities this year, there was one familiar face helping guide them through the process: Claire Hobbs.<\/p>\n

As an ACC alumna who transferred to Yale University and is now preparing to attend Harvard Kennedy School to pursue a Master\u2019s in Public Policy, Hobbs understands firsthand what it takes to navigate the path from community college to a top-tier institution. She shares that experience with ACC students through mentorship and outreach efforts connected to the College\u2019s annual Two-Year to Top-Tier initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one recipe for transferring to a top university,\u201d says Hobbs. \u201cWe [nontraditional students] came from varied backgrounds, and some of us had even failed at earlier college attempts. I say this in hopes that students looking to transfer will see the value in their own unique stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

This fall, six ACC Honors students will continue their academic journeys at highly selective universities<\/strong><\/a>, including Yale, Cornell, Columbia, and Brown.<\/p>\n

For Hobbs, helping students imagine themselves at institutions like Yale feels especially meaningful because she once faced those same doubts herself. After stepping away from college following high school, Hobbs returned to higher education years later by enrolling at ACC.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarting at ACC was scarier than transferring to Yale,\u201d says Hobbs. \u201cThe idea of returning to college mid-life was intimidating,\u201d but \u201cACC gave me that entry point, and I immediately felt at home. I explored my academic interests and built momentum taking hard classes, which made transferring to a school like Yale feel within reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through ACC\u2019s Honors Program, Hobbs challenged herself academically while building the confidence needed to pursue opportunities she once considered out of reach. She credits ACC faculty, staff, tutors, and classmates with helping her develop the skills and support network that contributed to her success. Today, she encourages students not to limit their own aspirations.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t self-select out,\u201d she says. \u201cYou won\u2019t get the chance to go to your dream school if you don\u2019t apply.\u201d It\u2019s a message that resonates with this year\u2019s cohort of Honors students who will continue their academic journeys at Ivy League universities this fall. Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas, associate dean of the Honors Program, affirms that this message aligns closely with the work ACC continues to do through its transfer initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019ve found among students is a kind of self-limiting mindset that often prevents them from taking the big swings, even though they are comparable with any student in the nation,\u201d says Thomas. \u201c[We] have made it our mission to counter that mindset and show students that they have earned their places at some of the finest institutions in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the annual Two-Year to Top-Tier initiative, co-hosted by ACC Transfer Services and the Honors Program, students receive guidance on transfer planning, application strategies, and opportunities to connect with ACC alumni who have successfully transferred to highly selective universities. Hobbs hopes her own story and the accomplishments of this year\u2019s transfer students serve as a reminder of what is possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want everyone at ACC\u2014students, faculty, staff, parents, and administrators\u2014to know that community college students can and do thrive at top universities,\u201d says Hobbs. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for ACC. It was the launchpad for my academic journey. I started here, and it took me further than I imagined. I hope my path inspires other ACC students to aim high and see where it takes them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Two-Year to Top-Tier event will return next spring to help students explore transfer opportunities and connect with representatives from selective colleges and universities nationwide.<\/p>\n

The accomplishments of Hobbs and this year\u2019s transfer students also reflect ACC\u2019s ongoing commitment to improving student completion and transfer outcomes, which are key measures in the College\u2019s Institutional Effectiveness Report Card<\/strong><\/a> and HB8 performance metrics. Their success highlights the meaningful role faculty and staff play in helping students achieve their academic goals.<\/p>\n

For more information about the ACC Honors Program, visit austincc.edu\/honors<\/strong><\/a>, or visit austincc.edu\/transfer<\/strong><\/a> for information on ACC\u2019s transfer services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When several Austin Community College District (ACC) Honors Program students earned admission to some of the nation\u2019s most selective universities this year, there was one familiar face helping guide them through the process: Claire Hobbs. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":53204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[176,4425,115],"class_list":["post-53203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-announcements","tag-honors-program","tag-ivy-league","tag-transfer"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53203"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53207,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53203\/revisions\/53207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}