On March 11, Jonathan Macat ’16 will begin as assistant director of THRIVE. The program is developed to help first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students thrive at Bowdoin and is in its sixth year at the College. Director of THRIVE Anthony Parker-Gills announced Macat’s appointment in an email to all THRIVE students on Monday.

As assistant director, Macat will collaborate with the rest of the THRIVE staff in supporting the program’s various offerings for students, including the Geoffrey Canada Scholars summer program. Macat will also work closely with groups across campus to build THRIVE’s profile on campus.

One of the first projects Macat will work on is the inaugural First-Year Pathfinder Program scheduled for March 22. A collaboration with Career Exploration and Development (CXD), the day-long event will enhance career support and exploration opportunities for FGLI students in their first year on campus.

Another initiative the THRIVE staff is working on is the THRIVE Student Advisory Board, which will give students a stronger voice in what resources THRIVE offers. The board will consist of students from all of the programs that THRIVE currently offers and is planned to debut in the fall.

Given the student-centered nature of THRIVE, Parker-Gills is looking forward to having the perspective of a former student added to the THRIVE team.

“Jonathan’s insight on the Bowdoin experience will assist us in enhancing our services to best support first-generation & limited-income (FGLI) students across campus. Jonathan will be a great addition to our team, and we cannot wait to begin working together,” Parker-Gills wrote in an email to the Orient.

Since fall 2021, Macat has worked at Bowdoin Upward Bound—a federally-funded program aimed at helping first-generation high school students access and succeed in higher education—as an academic counselor, and currently as the Upward Bound advisor and coordinator for Lewiston. In this role, Macat focuses on pre-college advising, but he is looking forward to working with students already immersed in their college experience.

“In my Upward Bound Academic Counselor role, I often talk with students about their college-going identity and what resources are available to them before they become students,” Macat wrote in an email to the Orient. “I am stoked to be able to work with students who are defining their college-going identity and connect them with support for their four-year experience.”

As a student, Macat majored in environmental studies and earth and oceanographic science. Macat was also heavily involved in numerous organizations across campus, including playing on the football team and mentoring through America Reads and Counts. He also spent several summers working with Upward Bound as a student before his most recent role with the organization.

“I enjoy meeting new people and building relationships,” Macat wrote. “I look forward to meeting students and helping them define their college-going identity.”