This workshop presentation provides an overview and description of the academic learning community offered through the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP). It presents insights into the 'collaborative learning model for student development and retention', which fosters academic achievement among underrepresented minority students (African-American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American) in engineering. The presentation describes the value of various extra-curricular activities such as: supplemental instruction, peer group collaborative learning, and leadership development experiences; which have proven to dramatically increase the first-year performance and the freshmen-to-sophomore return rates (within Engineering) of MEP students (85% for participants vs. 50% for non-participants). Readers will gain insights into how they can facilitate extra-curricular learning experiences that will reinforce classroom learning and help their students develop their own identities as future science and engineering professionals.