Earlier this year, I was honored to be asked to serve as co-chair of the Greenfield Community College Foundation annual campaign, Opening Doors to the Future, with my father-in-law Rich Fahey, who is finishing his third term in that role.
As I worked on the campaign over the past two months, attending events and speaking with alumni and supporters of the college, I am struck by the commitment and sense of community engendered by and with Greenfield Community College. There is such as wide representation of people living, working, parenting and volunteering in our home community and that is never more evident than in the now 75 campaign team members (double the number of last year!) who have donated their time and skills to better the community and support one of its cornerstones institutions, GCC. I recognize the sacrifice they have made to fan out across the counties to ask for support of GCC and I am in awe and truly thank them for their work.
I am lucky enough to be able to say that I experienced a GCC education first hand as a dual-enrolled student from Pioneer Valley Regional School. In September 2000, at age 16, my mother dropped me off in that front bus loop in front of the college, and I climbed out of the family minivan, and slowly made my way up the “stairmaster” (my affectionate term for the main steps, where no matter how many steps I took, I never seemed to be making any progress). While I spent the first week trying not to engage in conversation or crack even a slight smile so as not to show off my braces and give away my age, the people I encountered quickly brought out my smile and full-metal grin. I met lifelong friends, mentors and world-class educators here, which ignited my self-confidence.
As much as I enjoyed my two years at GCC and recognized the doors it opened for me, I don’t think it was until I went on to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree at other institutions, that I truly realized what this school offers to each and every student who walks through these doors. The education I received here was unparalleled and the support and encouragement was simply in another class … and all in my hometown. So many in this community support GCC because, at some point in their lives, they realized this, too.
In my current role as a clinician at the Franklin County House of Corrections, I’ve been able to view the role of the college from a new angle. As I help many incarcerated men contemplate their goals after their release, many dream of a college education. A dream that in other communities, would go unfulfilled. It’s all too easy to take for granted the incredible opportunity for top-notch education that is accessible to truly everyone at GCC.
For the men that I work with, the language I use to describe my educational journey, such as “lucky” and “privileged to have a supportive family who expected that I would go to college” are not words that appear when we talk. To them, the dream of going to college is just that: a dream beyond their reach. But I assure them that they can go, that the doors to a changed life are open. GCC is their chance at a new life, one that will provide them with confidence, skills, and the sense of meaning to finally pull themselves out of their patterns of crime and addiction and begin anew.
It is in these stories that the great work of GCC’s commitment to access and a quality education for all who seek to learn is underscored. The college faculty and staff have worked every day, year in and year out for more than 50 years, to provide associate degrees and certificates, to transfer students to a four-year college or help them begin their careers as firefighters, nurses, EMTs, police officers and more. But they have also been about providing life … Let that sit with you for a few seconds — life — a chance to truly live. If that is not a priority for everyone in our community, I’m not sure what is.
I agreed to co-chair the GCC Foundation annual campaign because I want to support this endeavor in any way I can, and remind us all that our success is the community’s success and will be felt for this and many generations to come.
I urge your support of the campaign, which ends on Tuesday, with a gift. You can make a donation online at www.gcc.mass.edu/give or call 413-775-1600.
Nicole Fahey lives in Turners Falls.