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Assessment results show that passing rates in introductory courses and retention rates of first year students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of X, a predominantly Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), significantly dropped with the onset of COVID-19. These results and trends highlight the academic preparation of incoming students, particularly the new cohort of underrepresented Hispanic students from underserved and challenged communities in the region, who may not have the necessary skills (e.g., adaptability, persistence, and performance) for the rigor of engineering education. To address this challenge, an onboarding “boostcamp” was created for incoming and transfer students to bridge the transition from secondary education to higher education. The boostcamp primes students to overcome academic deficiencies, develop a critical skills portfolio, learn problem-solving techniques, build a sustainable community of mentoring support with faculty and students, and gain a template to sustain academic and professional success during their undergraduate education. The paper presents the boostcamp's design process steps, including curricular analysis, identification of areas for improvement, skills inventory, and blueprinting, as well as its initial implementation in the mechanical engineering program. The boostcamp was organized over a week and featured hands-on engineering activities, faculty and student talks, and engineering lab tours. It was based on a design thinking approach and structured around Challenge-based Instruction, innovation, design, and mentoring. Daily activities focused on promoting critical thinking, assertiveness in the face of adversity, informed decision-making, and task prioritization. Results indicate that the boostcamp increased student confidence and established a valuable network system among participants. Future work will focus on expanding the boostcamp to include students from other engineering and computer science departments and developing a template for other institutions with similar challenges.