Westchester Community College Mount Vernon Fall 2016 ...€¦ · and Senior Technical Assistant Araceli Soriano answer questions about the college at the New Rochelle Street Fair.

THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL FALL!

Thank you for reading the Fall 2016 issue of the Mount Vernon Extension Newsletter. Our

featured student in this issue is Johnnie Asibuo, an honor student who is involved in

student activities and works as a tutor at the Mount Vernon Academic Support Center.

Also in the spotlight is Project Transition, a program funded by the Department of Labor

designed to provide skills to displaced homemakers seeking to enter the workforce. This

issue also celebrates the exciting events hosted by the Mount Vernon Activities Club. Be

sure to read more about the Mount Vernon Film Festival, activities celebrating the

Common Read, and our spotlight on English as a Second Language student, Nazar Derii.

Finally, see where the Mount Vernon Extension Center team has been spotted in the

community this semester. Thank you for your readership and enjoy this issue!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JOHNNIE ASIBUO Our students at Westchester Community College are as diverse and inspiring as they come, and it is our greatest pleasure to celebrate our students’ successes. Meet Johnnie Asibuo, an exemplary student whose story is a testament to perseverance and positivity. Johnnie studies Business Administration, is involved in student activities, and even tutors at the Mount Vernon Academic Support Center. “My goal is to transfer and get my bachelor’s degree in global business after I graduate,” she explains. “I want to help businesses in other countries manage their scarce resources. I will know how to set up and manage successful businesses so that they contribute to the growth of their economies.”

Having spent most of her school years in Ghana, Johnnie knew she wanted to pursue

higher education in New York. She initially came to WCC because of its reputation. It was

hard to adjust to a new environment, but she didn’t let that stop her. “My first semester, I

was failing Precalculus,” she remembers. “I made a decision to succeed, so I started visiting

the Mount Vernon Academic Support Center and met my favorite tutor, Inesa, who was a

WCC graduate. This was undoubtedly a key to my success – you have to ask for help, and

you have to be willing to do the work.” She not only passed the class, but now Johnnie is a

straight-A student and is a math tutor as well. “My favorite subject to tutor is pre-algebra,

because students tend to really struggle. I remember what that was like, so I want to give

back,” Johnnie says. With a full course load and while working as a tutor, Johnnie still

finds time to be involved in other activities at WCC. She is Co-Secretary of the Mount

Vernon Activities Club, a member of the business honors society, and is in the Honors

Program. She thinks back to her first semester at WCC and tells us, “Prof. David Fritz was

the professor for my first course, ENG 101, and the course was so different than what I ...

Continued on page 4

17 S. Fifth Avenue, Mount Vernon ∙ 914—606—7200

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Student Spotlight: Johnnie Asibuo …………………………… 1

The Mount Vernon Extension Center Hosts: Mount Vernon Film Festival ...................... 2

Introducing Project Transition .......................... 2

Out and About: Spotted in Mount Vernon .................... 2

English as a Second Language: Spotlight on Nazar Derii…… 3

Common Read at Mount Vernon …………………………… 3

Sponsored by MVAC: For Students, By Students ......... 4

Westchester Community College

Mount Vernon

Fall 2016 Newsletter

“WCC is for everyone…If you are focused on success, that’s exactly what you will get.”

The Mount Vernon Extension Center hosts:

MOUNT VERNON FILM FESTIVAL

From September 22 through 26, the

Mount Vernon Extension Center

hosted the third annual Mount

Vernon Film Festival. The festival

draws local, international, and

independent filmmakers. Both

featured films and shorts are shown.

Mount Vernon Film Festival

founder and producer, Osiris

Imhotep, is a filmmaker and

educator who believes that film

exposes viewers to new perspectives

and possibilities, and serves as a

way to connect the world. He also

believes that there is a natural

synergy between film and

education. This year, he offered free

submission for student-made films

as well as free admission to the

festival for WCC students. Included

in this year’s festival was an

afternoon of workshops and panels

with Imhotep that were designed to

provide youth attendees with the

knowledge and skills to be creative

and successful filmmakers and

change agents in their fields.

The festival attracted over 60 submissions and diverse members of the Mount Vernon community. We congratulate all award winners and filmmakers, and look forward to supporting next year’s festival.

This semester, the Mount Vernon Extension Center hosted a cohort of Project Transition, a grant-funded program through the New York State Department of Labor. The program provides training for displaced homemakers or eligible individuals who have been caring for family members and have lost their means of support. The program is intensive. It focuses on computer skills like MS Office and QuickBooks as well as soft skills like resume writing, business writing and oral communication. Alice Walsh, WCC Program Specialist for Project Transition, explains that the program equips students with the “basic skills for communications, computer programs and office management.” Graduates from previous cohorts are employed in fields ranging from medicine to insurance to advertising.

Students are selected for the program based on eligibility criteria as well as an interview. For some, the goal will be to obtain their first job outside of the home. Others are seeking to re-enter the workforce after as many as 20 years. The program represents an opportunity for students who otherwise may not be capable of obtaining formal employment on their own.

For many graduates, Project Transition isn’t only about getting a job. Alice Walsh explains that many graduates of the program go on to enroll in classes or degree programs. This is true for both Sally Hall and Angie Tome, two students in the Mount Vernon cohort who plan to take classes after completing the program. Angie shares, “I’ll definitely look into classes at WCC. It’s intimidating, but I’ve realized that it’s possible. College isn’t just for 20-somethings; it’s for everyone.”

Project Transition provides students with the skills they need to re-enter the workforce and also sparks an interest in pursuing education. But the impact of the program goes even deeper. “I think Project Transition has already had an impact on my life,” Sally tells us, “by reminding me that I am more than a mom and a wife, and that there is a whole ‘me’ that I can now focus on.” Angie has three daughters, and wants to model being an independent income earner while still putting family first. “I want them to see that they have choices, and that they don’t even have to choose – they can do it all,” she tells us.

Students come to Project Transition from many walks of life and with many positive experiences to share. What they have in common is that they are deeply impacted by this 8-week program. Whether graduates obtain jobs, continue to pursue higher education, experience personal transformations, or any combination of the three, they owe part of their success to Project Transition. But mostly, they earned it through hard work and perseverance.

INTRODUCING: PROJECT TRANSITION

Angie Tome and Sally Hall pose in the lobby of the

Mount Vernon Extension Center

OUT AND

ABOUT:

The Mount Vernon

Extension Center

Team is all around

town! See where

they’ve been spotted

this semester.

Sergeant Carpenter (left) of the Mount Vernon Police

Department and Francine Carl (right) pose with

Frances Wynn and Delia Farquharson of My Brother’s

Keeper, a community initiative, and are regular visitors

at the Mount Vernon Extension Center.

Director Francine Carl and Asst. Director

Janna Gullery at Mount Vernon’s annual

Arts on Third Festival.

(Photo credit: Mount Vernon Inquirer)

Student Katie Mason with Administrative

Assistant Kristen Payton at Mount Vernon’s

Summer Breeze Concert series. Students in the

Entrepreneurship Summer Academy sell their

products to learn about profit margins.

COMMON READ AT MOUNT VERNON

Sponsored by the Mount Vernon Academic Support Center

Every year, Westchester Community College celebrates the Common Read as a way for students to gain a new perspective about the power of the human spirit and their own resilience, and as a cornerstone of the First Year Experience. The 2016-2017 selection, The Skin Between Us by Kym Ragusa, explores themes of race, difference, family, and belonging. The book serves as a foundation for a series of events ranging from coursework to a “Walk and Roll” race around campus, book discussions, and a campus visit from the author.

The Mount Vernon Academic Support Center (MVASC) facilitates Common Read programming at the Mount Vernon Extension Center every year.

This year, the MVASC raffled off 20 copies of the book to students and facilitated a book discussion. Congratulations to raffle winners and thank you to students who participated in the compelling book discussion!

Students at the book discussion pose

with copies of The Skin Between Us

WCC security guard Jared Norman (right)

poses with Sgt. Carpenter (left) of the Mount

Vernon Police Department, who coordinates

the 21st Century Policing Initiative, a challenge

posed by President Obama and accepted by

the City of Mount Vernon.

Administrative Assistant Kristen Payton

and Senior Technical Assistant Araceli

Soriano answer questions about the

college at the New Rochelle Street Fair.

Both are proud WCC graduates!

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: SPOTLIGHT ON NAZAR DERII

One of the most celebrated elements of Westchester

County is its diversity. Between 2010 and 2014, the

US Census estimated that one out of every four

Westchester residents was foreign-born. For many,

learning English is a critical beginning step to

building a life here. The English Language Institute

(ELI) of Westchester Community College serves over

5,000 English as a Second Language (ESL) students

per year, more than any other educational institution

in the county. Students represent over 100 countries,

adding to the rich diversity in the county. The ELI

offers six levels of ESL instruction at thirteen

locations throughout the county, including the Mount

Vernon Extension Center.

Nazar Derii is one of those students. Originally from

Ukraine, Nazar dreamed of coming to the US since he

was 15. When he finally arrived to join his father

about a year and a half ago, he knew it would be

important to learn English in order to succeed in the US. Both his brother and his friends

had taken classes at Westchester Community College, and they highly recommended that

he enroll in the ESL program. “The Mount Vernon Extension Center is very conveniently

located near my home and job, so I was very excited to find a class that met my needs here,”

he recalls. Having learned some English in Ukraine, he was placed into level 3. “It was

challenging to practice what I was learning in class while I was at my job, but I knew how

important it was to do so,” he tells us.

Learning English is a gateway to many other opportunities for students in the ESL

program. Nazar remembers when his ESL instructor invited her class to share their goals

for their future. “That pushed me to think more seriously about what I wanted to do with

my future,” he explains, and it helped him to develop a passion for achieving the goals he

had identified. “I plan to continue learning English until I am fluent, then pass the TOEFL

exam, and become a project manager or an architect.” Once he completes the ESL program,

he plans to pursue his undergraduate career at Westchester Community College and, later,

transfer to a four-year school and obtain his bachelor’s degree.

Nazar tells us, “I recommend the ESL program at Westchester Community College because

it will help you to achieve your goals. I am so happy I received this recommendation, and

now I will pass it along to others.” We wish the best of luck to Nazar and look forward to

seeing him next semester.

Nazar studying at the Mount

Vernon Extension Center

NEW!NONCREDIT FOR SPRING

Computer Basics 1: Operational Skills 2/28 & 3/2, 1-4 pm

Computer Basics 2: Windows and File Management 3/7 & 3/9, 1-4 pm

Computer Basics 3: Internet & Email 3/21 & 3/23, 1-4 pm

REGISTER NOW !

Classes start January 21st

Academic counselors available

M — Th 5-7pm

ATTEND OUR

OPEN HOUSE!

Tuesday, January 10th

5:30—7:30 PM

Interested in starting or

continuing your education?

Attend our Open House to

tour our center and speak

with experts from

Admissions, Financial Aid,

Honors, Academic Support,

and more.

In its second semester, the Mount

Vernon Activities Club (MVAC)

continues to bring fun and educational

events to the Mount Vernon Extension

Center. This semester, MVAC first

hosted a resume writing workshop

with career counselor Prof. Gelaine

Williams. Students revised their

resumes to stand out, and enjoyed

coffee and pastries courtesy of Steam

House Express next door. One student

in attendance has already received two

job offers! Next, MVAC hosted an

“International Dessert Party,” where

students brought in desserts

representing their cultures. Students

brought in desserts from almost 20

different countries, and this popular

event was enjoyed by many students at

the center. MVAC even received a visit

from officers and advisors of the

Yonkers Activities Council! During the

holiday season, the club’s annual

“MVAC Gives Back” encouraged

students to drop off clothing and food

to be donated to a local charity. MVAC

also invited local high school students

to visit the center to learn about

preparing for college. We look forward

to hosting a group of 20 10th grade

students in the AVID College Readiness Program at Thornton High School. Finally, the semester

ended with a party to de-stress before finals. MVAC provided snacks in a relaxing environment

so that students could take a study break and enjoy their last days of the fall semester. We look

forward to new events hosted by MVAC in the spring!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JOHNNIE ASIBUO Continued from page 1

… was used to in Ghana. Prof. Fritz gave us such challenging and engaging assignments that focused on current events and things that are relevant in our lives. It opened up my eyes, and laid the foundation for my career at WCC.” After so much success, we asked Johnnie what she wishes the college knew about her. “I wish the college knew how determined I was to succeed during and after my time here,” she says, “and that I’m really proud of my success, because it hasn’t been easy, and I’ve worked really hard for it.” When asked what advice she would give to other students, Johnnie told us, “WCC is for everyone, and there are so many opportunities and so much support, but it’s about the choices you make. You will get out what you put in. If you are focused on success, with the help of professors and Academic Support, that’s exactly what you will get.” Join us in celebrating Johnnie and all the students working so hard for their success. Keep it up!

Johnnie (right) tutors student Amanda Kentish (left)

in preparation for her pre-algebra midterm.

Visit Us On the Web! sunywcc.edu/locations/mountvernon

Students together with MVAC officers pose with

Professor Gelaine Williams from Career Counseling at

MVAC’s Resume Writing Workshop

Students are all smiles during MVAC’s International

Dessert Party hosted in the student lounge

SPONSORED BY MVAC: FOR STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS