Starting a new chapter in life can be magical. Each summer, the Office of Cultural & Academic Transitions (OCAT) coordinates Maximizing Academic Growth in College (MAGIC), a weeklong program that welcomes incoming admitted students to Michigan State University (MSU).

MAGIC serves to facilitate a smooth transition from high school to college, providing students  the tools for success as they begin their Spartan journey. This opportunity is available to students who have completed their New Student Orientation (NSO) and are ready to start their Spartan experience in July before classes start.

Creating MAGIC

Murray Edwards, founder of MAGIC, created the program to provide incoming BIPOC and first-generation students from underserved communities with a strong foundation for college. The program offers a week of college experiences on campus, including seminars, learning strategies and resources while living with a roommate before the semester begins.

OCAT Coordinator Jason Worley shares the importance of having a head start when arriving on campus, saying, “How you start is very very important, especially as a student of color, first gen  or new to campus in general.”

MAGIC has three main goals. First, it familiarizes students with MSU’s campus, through a campus-wide scavenger hunt. Second, it exposes students to tools and resources for college success, with daily sessions covering time management, emotional intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and meeting MSU Police and Public Safety. Third, it relieves college anxiety by helping students build friendships and hear a motivational speech from Dr. Eric Thomas.

MAGIC has guided hundreds of Spartans for 27 years. Data shows 86% of the MAGIC 2023 Cohort maintained good academic standing. Two out of three MAGIC students earned a GPA of a 3.0 or higher, 16% earned a 4.0 GPA during their first semester and 43% received Dean’s List Honors (GPA of 3.5 or higher). Many MAGIC alums have held leadership positions, including roles in Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES), Council of Progressive Students (COPS), Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU), Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) and others. The 2024 MAGIC program hosted 217 students, with plans to double participation in future years.

First in Family 

Domenic Cedillo, an MSU junior and MAGIC alum from Greenville, Michigan, works for the MSU Honors College and serves as president of the MSU Honors Students of Color Coalition. Cedillo is the first in his family to enroll in a university. To familiarize himself with campus, Cedillo and his family attended the family day event for Hispanic students before his first year. There he met OCAT Coordinator Juan Florez who introduced them to the MAGIC program, ultimately convincing him to sign up that night.

Cedillo said he entered MAGIC feeling incredibly nervous and afraid but left confident, ambitious and sociable. He fondly recalls motivational speaker Eric Thomas’ heartfelt message about devotion. Thomas encouraged them to question the kind of person they wanted to be, their drives and their wants versus their needs and how to achieve those needs. The key takeaway was that devotion drives your work. ”Work really hard to put what you want into the world,” became Cedillo’s mindset as he began college.

“As the first of my family to have this opportunity, now that I have it I don’t want to let others down. You gotta take the chance and work hard for it everyday,” Cedillo says.

MAGIC helped make MSU feel less intimidating, leaving Cedillo with a community and tools to support him. Cedillo said he didn’t expect to see MAGIC attendees again but kept running into them at club meetings, classes and sports events around campus. One of his MAGIC friends even became an IM soccer teammate he played with every week.

“Regardless of how different we live our lives, we had our own community, and I felt really welcome. Not once did I feel unwelcome,” says Cedillo. “MSU, whether it be faculty, friends or anyone else, will go out of their way to help you out. There are support systems here; MSU has been a safe space for me.”

After undergrad, Cedillo plans to enroll in MSU’s law program to become an immigration attorney. He hopes to advocate for undocumented immigrants like his father who worked primarily in construction and kitchens to support his family. Cedillo believes they are among the  most decent, hardworking and honest people he’s met and deserve fair representation. When he thinks about his dad’s story, he reflects on all the other undocumented immigrants whose main priority is also their family.

Conjuring Confidence 

Jai Kozar-Lewis, a MAGIC alum and junior majoring in supply chain management with minors in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Leadership of Organizations. Kozar-Lewis is currently completing his third internship, this time as a consultant at Crowe LLP Chicago. He also serves on the Executive Board of Spectrum Counseling Group and is a member of the Multicultural Business Students club and the Spartan Consulting Academy.

Growing up in East Lansing, Michigan, with a mother working for the OCAT office, Kozar-Lewis was familiar with the MAGIC program’s positive impact and eagerly applied as an incoming first-year student.

During his time at MAGIC, Kozar-Lewis attended workshops and sessions where he learned about campus resources, academic skills and how to ask for help with classwork. The welcoming and supportive environment at MAGIC motivated him to engage with opportunities on campus. He also learned how to network and build connections with other students, many of whom became his closest friends.

“MAGIC was transformative; I feel confident handling the challenges of college,” Kozar-Lewis says. “I know where to go for help and have a supportive community to turn to.”

In the future, Kozar-Lewis aspires to advance his career in strategy consulting. His MAGIC experience laid a foundation for his personal and professional growth, demonstrating the program’s impact on students’ lives. 

Community Within Diversity

Maria Quintero, a MAGIC alum and junior at MSU, is majoring in psychology with a minor in youth and society. From Lansing, Michigan, Quintero works as a prenatal research lab assistant and is a member of sorority Kappa Delta Kai and Michigan State University’s Council of Racial & Ethnic Studies (CORES) Latinx Student Organization (CRU).

Quintero discovered MAGIC through OCAT’s social media. The program’s mission to foster a sense of community and belonging among minority students attracted her as an incoming commuter student. She attended MAGIC to immerse herself in campus life, an experience she felt she missed by not living in the residence halls. She said she wanted a taste of the independence and reality of college life.

By attending workshops and classes around campus, MAGIC helped Quintero sharpen her leadership and time management skills. The program’s resources also allowed her to build connections with the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, which she used for her sorority. She said the program helped her become more outgoing and confident, showing her how she could improve every day.

MAGIC brought together minority students from all different backgrounds, who Quintero bonded with by sharing similar experiences. The diverse community she built at MAGIC helped her find more people like herself. She said that attending MAGIC made diversity feel more prominent at events where she was able to find and build connections.

“I really loved MAGIC. Knowing you have a community at MSU makes a big difference,” Quintero says. “It can feel lonely at a big university if you don’t know anyone. You can find a lot of wonderful things outside of your comfort zone, helping you grow into the person you want to be.” 

What’s Next?

As the program continues to prosper, Edwards plans to gradually double the number of attendees from around 200 to 400 and extend the program from two weeks to four. He also aims to grow the MAGIC community beyond the first semester, including students who couldn’t participate in the program. This expansion will feature a success initiative with monthly skills and training mentoring sessions. Edwards intends to increase awareness of OCAT and MAGIC resources among students through this initiative.

As a long-term goal, Edwards hopes to establish MAGIC as a Living-Learning Community on campus, an opportunity for those who wish to live together to continue fostering that community and make building connections more accessible throughout their time on campus – a way for students to find and build their campus family among each other.

“Ushering in new leaders on campus and into the world fills my cup,” said Edwards. “And to go on to see [MAGIC alums] as presidents of organizations and working six-figure jobs inspires me to know I’m in the right line of work.”

To learn more about the MAGIC program, visit ocat.msu.edu/home/magic-maximizing-academic-growth-in-college.