At the Kickoff Celebration of the Greenfield Community College Foundation 2016 Annual Campaign, Opening Doors to the Future, I shared my own “GCC story” with the volunteer campaign team preparing to raise funds in support of this community’s college.
You’ve probably heard many variations of my story: the one where the youngest of six children in a low-income family with parents who never attended college miraculously finds her way to GCC, goes on to obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees and now has the extraordinary privilege of working to provide thousands more with the opportunity that made her success possible.
Also this month, the GCC Foundation is preparing for the Scholarship Awards Ceremony, at which incredible donor support provides scholarships to students to help offset the cost of their education. The impact of these awards is immeasurable, as sometimes $500, e.g., can make the difference between moving forward or not. Because our application readers can only award a scholarship to less than half of those who applied, due to limited funds, this is one of the areas for which we continue to raise money each year.
While reading these applications, I was reminded that our students today face the same challenges that I and my GCC classmates faced more than 30 years ago — perhaps as non-traditional, or single parents, or disabled, or primary caregivers, and so on — as students hoping to change their lives through education.
Their personal essays demonstrate a powerful voice now — they don’t need several decades and an established career to make the case for GCC; their lives are impacted today.
Following are excerpts from these applications, telling us in their own words why your support to help open doors to the future through the GCC Foundation Annual Campaign is critical:
When I struggled and faltered, I needed only to look to my adviser, my professors, and my fellow students at my side to make me stronger. GCC has offered a way out of poverty and has given me the confidence to free myself and my children from abuse and fear. I am a single parent and am powerful enough to carry my children to a better life. I struggle financially, but not intellectually. I will graduate with an associates degree in the liberal arts with a focus on math and science and hope to earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. I plan to teach, and I will encourage all my students to embrace STEM and to appreciate the liberal arts, for both areas of study offer beauty and strengthen cognitive complexity. I also hope to work closely with victims of domestic violence to facilitate their reentrance into schools and training programs. I ask for assistance from the GCC Foundation, so that I can reach my goals and give back to the community what it has already given to me.
I am a Latino first-generation college student. I graduated from high school and decided to come to GCC to start my college education. I got accepted to a couple of universities but did not go because I felt like I was not prepared, did not have enough financial support, and was unsure of what I wanted to pursue as a career. Coming to GCC was one of the best decisions I ever made because the college experience has taught me how to be a successful student. School has always been very difficult for me and I used to not get the best grades in high school. I’m a full time student and have a 15-hour/week part-time job and take care of a family member. I’m paying for my school with my mother’s help but its still difficult to pay the bill. I’m getting the highest grades that I have ever gotten.
I am majoring in liberal arts at GCC and plan to transfer to UMass. I am a first-generation student and the oldest child in my family. My experience at GCC has been life-changing and overwhelmingly positive. I struggled with depression and social anxiety, my performance in school suffered and I would often fail classes. I considered myself a loner with no true friends. Despite these hardships, I have learned to become a dedicated student, a loyal friend, and a compassionate human being. The time that I have spent at GCC has had a major impact on the person that I am today. I went from a GPA of around 1.5 in high school to my current GPA of 3.85 at GCC. I went from feeling alone every day of my life to being surrounded by intelligent and caring people. When I leave GCC, I want to repay the kindness that so many people in this community have shown me.
These are just three of more than 200 students who applied for a named scholarship this year. In additon, approximately 400 more students are helped by direct assistance through GCC Financial Aid Office, made possible by donor support. GCC changes lives.
Please consider supporting GCC students. Give to the Annual Campaign now at www.gcc.mass.edu/give or call 413-775-1600.
Regina Curtis is executive director of Resource Development at Greenfield Community College.