Networks Matter. Alicia Found One at SUNY WCC Alicia enrolled in SUNY Westchester as an Honors College student with a dream of transferring to Georgetown University and pursuing a career in foreign service, but the sudden death of her father threatened to derail her plans. Alicia was not in a financial position to fund the next two years at a private university like Georgetown, even if she could get in. She did not give up. Instead she sought advice from staff and faculty on campus. Alicia’s efforts not only resulted in her being connected with a Georgetown alumnus who told her about a community college student transfer program at Georgetown, but also landed her a summer internship. Fast forward to this spring, Alicia got into Georgetown—one of 75 transfer students to be accepted out of more than 2,350 applicants. Initially, Alicia was not offered any funding because she was considered an international student due to her immigration status, which would have made it impossible for her to attend. But encouraged to reach out to Georgetown’s financial aid office, she did and was invited to submit a personal statement. That extra step, which Alicia would not have known to take, resulted in Alicia being awarded a $91,600 scholarship toward the $93,000 annual cost. The importance of connecting students with professionals who can open doors, and advise them in their studies and careers, cannot be overstated. Many community college students like Alicia do not have a natural network of connected friends, family, and business contacts, and it is this kind of mentoring that we hope to expand so that talented students like Alicia can achieve their higher education goals. STUDENTS ALICIA GRECO GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY TRANSFER The Honors College Established by an anonymous donor and supported by the WCC Foundation, the Honors College nurtures and provides exceptional opportunities to cohorts of 18-20 gifted and motivated students from diverse backgrounds each year. The program’s curriculum is rigorous and challenging, leading to a SUNY-designated Honors degree in liberal arts tracks in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Math & Science. It offers opportunities to participate in national conferences, submit papers for publication, and study abroad at Cambridge. Graduates of the Honors College have gone on to prestigious private colleges like Harvard, Georgetown, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Williams in addition to many top-notch four-year SUNY institutions. Interested in volunteering as a mentor? Contact the Volunteer Services office VolunteerWCC@sunywcc.edu 19
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