Last updated on January 29, 2024
As the senior manager for Dallas College’s Male Achievement Program (MAP), Gabe Randle is providing men of color with the support he didn’t have in college.
“I didn’t have much guidance in college. … I didn’t have anybody to say, ‘Hey, this is the right way to do it’ or ‘Let me help you with that.’ And I struggled through college because I didn’t have that support that we offer to our students.”
The purpose of the Male Achievement Program is to provide academic support and mentoring to men of color, helping them develop a sense of belonging, confidence, leadership skills and career aspirations.
“I love the work, helping our male students of color find a purpose, find their goals and what they came here for, but exceeding that.”
Finding a Place at Dallas College
After earning his bachelor’s, Randle still didn’t have a clear career path. He was selling TVs at Best Buy but wanted to find a job that would closer align with his degree. That’s when he landed a role as a testing coordinator at Dallas College’s Richland Campus.
“As I started working in the testing center, I started to fall in love with not only higher education, but the community college aspect of higher education.”
While he was working in the testing center, Randle volunteered as a staff mentor for the Male Achievement Program. At that time, Richland was the only campus with the program. When the coordinator for MAP at Richland left, Randle applied for the position — but he didn’t get it.
“I still continued to help, volunteer and be of service because I had a passion for helping those students.”
His time would come, though, when the position became open again. This time, Randle applied and got the job. Then, when the Male Achievement Program was expanded to all seven Dallas College campuses, Randle became senior manager. In this role, he makes sure the Male Achievement Program staff at each campus are supported and have everything they need to help students.
Helping Students Find Their Path
When it comes to working at Dallas College, Randle says his favorite part is the community of faculty, staff and students and seeing how everyone, no matter their role, is dedicated to helping students succeed.
“I thrive off the community college environment,” he says.
The other thing he loves most about his work is, of course, the students themselves and helping them find their place at Dallas College. “Seeing students that maybe didn’t see themselves in college or see themselves as a fit, find a place here. … that is something that I absolutely love about being here.”
In addition to the Male Achievement Program, Randle also sees the importance in all the support services that Dallas College offers students: from the Inclusive Excellence Program, which works with women and LGBTQ+ populations, to Military-Connected Services and Hand In Hand, which works with foster care students.
“We all do great work, and I’m very thankful to Dallas College for seeing that need to support these groups and continuing to work to support these groups. It’s a large population of Dallas College and we’ve been able to help a lot of students.”
For Randle, higher education is key. He was the first in his family to receive a master’s degree and he’s currently working on his doctorate in higher education administration. Looking back on his time as a struggling undergraduate fuels Randle’s passion for helping students navigate the pitfalls of college that he once had to navigate alone.
“That passion for me is to not let somebody else go down those same types of roads I went down when I can tell you, ‘Hey, if you go down this way, this is a better path for you.’”
“I’m very passionate about making sure those students we serve succeed.”
This story and others like it can be found in the Student Newsletter. Check your Dallas College email to see the latest edition.