QCC Student Follows in his Parents' Footsteps

Life is pretty sweet for Jorgo Gushi. The Quinsigamond Community College sophomore came to the U.S. and QCC right after his high school graduation, beginning his life on U.S. soil at QCC. Recently he was elected as the Student Advisory Chair of the Student Advisory Council (SAC) in Massachusetts. Mr. Gushi, who is also QCC’s President of the Student Government Association, was elected by 25 of his peers from colleges and state universities across the state. He will lead the SAC’s Executive Team that also includes QCC Student Trustee Mustafa Boweden as the Public Relations Committee Chair/Secretary. Initiatives that are being discussed include Open Educational Resources such a free texts books in digital form; how to improve retention rates at all colleges and universities, as well as campus safety and sexual assault.  The SAC was created by the state in order to foster communication between student leaders from every public college and university in Massachusetts and the Board of Higher Education.

“This is the second year in a row that a QCC student has led the SEC Executive team,” Mr, Gushi said, referencing QCC alumna Stephanie Teixeira.

Government and education hold special places for Mr. Gushi. As a fifth grader in Albania he was a part of the student government and was a student senator for his class. In his senior year of high school he was class president. At 18, he came to the U.S., where he lives with his grandparents and sister. While his parents are still in Albania, they are both very supportive of his future. He said his love of education has always been an important part of his life. Everyone in his family has college experience. His sister is currently attending Worcester State University, his grandparents were both teachers and his mother, who is a headmaster and teacher, was his teacher when he was in the first grade.  

“I got my love of education from my mom,” he said.

His father is a government official in Albania and his aunt is a judge in Albania, which certainly seems to explain why he is so connected to student government.

Mr. Gushi initially had applied to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) when he came to the states, but changed his mind when he found out about QCC.

“I thought WPI was expensive and why go to WPI to take classes that you can take at QCC for a better price,” he said.

He began at QCC in 2017 as an engineering major and while he acknowledged he was afraid at the beginning he quickly found his way.

“All my professors supported me in every way. Particularly my English Professor Lisa Palmer and Elena Fenici, my math professor in my first semester,” he said. “Also, Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy who is my advisor.”

Today, Mr. Gushi is set to graduate in spring 2020 (he currently has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor Society) and will be one of the speakers at commencement. His plan is to transfer to a school such as Cornell or Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“I’ve always loved education and after my bachelors I’d like to get my masters and PhD. Since I love engineering and sciences and am keen on being a leader, I might want to start a company so that I can do both,” he said.

When he is not in class or in a student government meeting, you may find him working for Student Life or in the college’s Math Center.

When asked what his favorite part of his journey is since he started at QCC he was quick to answer.

“I’ve loved growing as a leader, but the most important and interesting part of being at QCC is all the people I’ve met and all the hospitality. It’s been really good from the first day I came here. It’s going so fast,” he said, adding that after graduation, “a part of us will still always be here.”