QCC’s Gateway to College Staff Hits the Road to Celebrate Graduates

WORCESTER, MA—June 29, 2020 —  High school graduation is a special time in a student’s life but even more so for those students who have overcome adversity and beat the odds. For 27 students in Quinsigamond Community College’s Gateway to College Program, the dream of graduating from high school became a reality this month and they became a part of the historic Class of 2020. 

The graduates are part of a program developed for students between the ages of 16-21, who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out. Students accepted into the program work on obtaining their high school diplomas, while also simultaneously earning college credits. Students take a full-time college course load, with classes that match their high school requirements, MCAS needs, and career interests. They attend classes in the fall and spring.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s graduating class was unable to hold an in-person graduation ceremony; however, the Gateway staff still wanted to hold some type of special celebration to commemorate the accomplishments of the students. QCC’s Gateway to College Director Marci Skillings came up with the idea of a “Grad 2 Go” graduation celebration that entailed the Gateway staff stopping by each graduates’ homes, taking photos and wishing them well. Prior to the Gateway staff visits, the students were sent caps, gowns, diplomas, and as well as “Class of 2020” masks to make the event feel extra special.

“All together, we visited 15 of our graduates over six days. I drove 267 miles in total. One day we started at a farm and ended on a lake,” said Senior Gateway Outreach Counselor Jenna Glazer. “High school graduation is something many of us (myself included) took for granted, but for many of our students, it seemed impossible for a long time. Despite graduating in the midst of a pandemic and an abrupt shift to remote learning, most of our students graduated with special honors (college GPA over 3.0 or 3.7). It is really a testament to the determination and perseverance of our students.”

Gateway graduate Ninoshka “Nino” Rabell-Santana said the Gateway to College Program was a true gateway to a better life and opportunity for her.

“Being a part of the Gateway to College community made me feel it was OK to not to be perfect. It taught me it was OK to fail in life over and over again until I was finally able to succeed in life,” she said. “Gateway has been such a blessing to me and to everyone in it.”

According to Ms. Skillings, most of the graduates will be staying on at QCC to complete their degrees, while others will be attending Worcester State University or UMass Amherst.

“Our graduates have all balanced a new normal and graduated in the midst of a pandemic. That is so amazing and we are so proud.  We wish them the best as they head out in a world of unknowns. We know they will succeed because they showed us they could and we believed, just as they did,” she said.

For more information on the program visit www.QCC.edu/Gateway.

For more information on QCC, contact Josh Martin, Director of Institutional Communications at 508.854.7513 or jmartin [at] qcc.mass.edu