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Award Winning Gateway to College Program Celebrates 10 Years of Success

July 2022
  • QCC's Gateway to College program won the Program Excellence Award.
    QCC's Gateway to College program won the Program Excellence Award for the fifth year in a row.

Staff, faculty, and students gathered on Wednesday, June 22 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Gateway to College program at Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). Gateway to College is an early college program that helps students who are experiencing barriers in obtaining a high school diploma in a traditional high school setting. The program provides wraparound support services and offers students the ability to obtain free college credits.  

QCC’s program has been recognized multiple times for its success and best practices and has been a model for other Gateway programs. Recently QCC’s Gateway to College program won the Program Excellence Award from Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit that partners with community colleges to achieve sustainable institutional transformation. This is the fifth year in a row the program has been recognized for its achievements.  

“They have it down to a science. You don’t get these kinds of accolades if you don’t have all the pieces working in sync,” said QCC’s Dean of College and Career Pathways, Carol King. 

QCC’s Director of Gateway to College, Marci Skillings, noted the teamwork and student-centered attitude that makes all the difference in students’ success. 

“We work as a unit and care deeply about our students, families, and staff. We accept them as who they are and we are very skilled in seeing the real person. We build trust back into their lives and give them a chance to see what they can do. This is very powerful,” Ms. Skillings said. 

One recent Gateway graduate, Lisa Sarfowaa, came to Worcester from Ghana when she was in high school. She said she felt the education system here wasn’t right for her, so she gave Gateway to College a try on the recommendation of a family member.  

“They have a really good staff, and I was able to share my culture with them. It motivated me to make good use of the opportunity. This place changed my life,” said Ms. Sarfowaa, adding that she will be continuing at QCC in the nursing program and plans to be a midwife in the future.  

“One of the things I love about Gateway is not only are these students who have so many barriers achieving their high school diploma, but they are also earning so much college credit. Many of them are right on the borderline of having enough credits to achieve a certificate,” Dean King said. 

The program has had over 220 graduates since its inception in 2012, with the majority of students continuing their higher education journey at QCC and often transferring to 4-year institutions.  

Visit QCC’s Gateway to College program to learn more.  

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