When the Rabold family transferred to Slippery Rock University, the move became more than an academic step—it was a shared journey of resilience, growth and belonging
Critical Writing is the kind of class Slippery Rock University students don’t face alone. The required general studies class lends itself to collaboration and fast fellowship among classmates. But three students who transferred to SRU this year are ahead of the curve when it comes to making connections —that’s because they come from the same family.
Jason Rabold and his son, Sabastien, and daughter, Calliope, share not only a surname but also class notes, study tips and a journey as transfer students.
The trio hails from Los Angeles, California, but they currently call New Castle home. Jason and Sabastien are majoring in English creative writing, while Calliope is an exploratory major who is still choosing between theatre studies and English for film. Sabastien graduated from Neshannock High School in New Castle while Calliope is a product of California City High School near Los Angeles.
After a year at Butler County Community College, the family decided SRU was the best next stop in their academic careers.
“It was the one school I felt I could thrive at,” Sabastien said.
Jason said the creative writing program caught his eye while touring the University with his children. Calliope was first drawn to the Japanese program, in addition to the opportunity to live away from home.
“I want the kids to have the experience of living on campus and being an adult, without really having the full responsibility of being an adult yet,” Jason said.
As on-campus residents, Calliope and Sabastien are taking it all in—the community, the culture, and the food—together. In addition to their writing class, they also take a Japanese language class where they were recognized from day one as “the siblings.”
At BC3, the Rabolds shared a full class schedule. Now, having one or two classes in common is an advantage and welcome change.
“We’re very lucky to have that kind of mentorship in our class—I know I always have my dad, and he can help me,” Calliope said.
While Calliope and Sabastien are finding friends among their peers, Jason identifies with his professors.
“My professors and I have connected on similar interests and experiences,” Jason said.“It’s been an interesting journey because I’m coming in with this similar level of experience.”
Jason, 43, is the owner of a digital marketing consulting company and author who has more than 20 years’ experience in the music and film industry as a director and production manager. A native of Boiling Springs (Boiling Springs HS), Jason left college in 2000 after one semester to move to California and start his career.
Jason’s perspective on academia is different from that of his children—while they are building a foundation for their future careers, Jason is making progress to earning a college degree to fulfill an item on his bucket list.
“The kids like to joke that I’m ‘cheating’ because I already have a career in my field of study,” Jason said.
“Professors here give you a space to step into and grow and become something better than you thought you could be.”
The trio is enjoying getting involved on campus through clubs like Film Society, University Program Board and WSRU-TV.
“I love that there are always events andsomething to do all the time,” Calliope said.
Transferring to a new college can be challenging for many students, but SRU’s Office of Transfer Admissions serves one goal of making the process simple.
The Rabolds followed the 50+ Pathways to Success program, a collaborative partnership between SRU and BC3.
“50+ Pathways means students can seamlessly transfer from BC3 to SRU without any loss of credits and with full connectivity to our campus environment,” said Robert Lagnese, director of transfer and readmission services and new student orientation.
The Office of Transfer Admissions is a centralized operation, everything from admission offers and scholarships to transfer credit evaluation is completed by the same staff.
“Our staff have a really strong understanding of all of our academic programs, and students appreciate that knowledge and the value of giving them credit for what they’ve done, and what they’ve earned and paid for toward degree completion here at SRU,” said Lagnese.
For more information about transferring to SRU, visit the Office of Transfer Admissions webpage.
