At Greenfield Community College, we are leaving the flurry of award ceremonies, celebrations, class presentations and final exams that mark the end of a semester – and look forward to our graduation Saturday.
This event, more than any other, captures the sense of community, the quality of education and the profound student accomplishment that lie at the heart of the GCC experience.
But in early May, the Greenfield Community College Foundation held its 54th annual Scholarship Award ceremony. Before that event, over 200 applicants for named scholarships told the college why this support critical in opening doors to their futures.
Today, three of them tell their stories.
When reading the scholarship applications, I was reminded that students today face the same challenges that I and my GCC classmates faced when I was a student here over 30 years ago.
Whether we were non-traditional students, single parents, disabled, or primary caregivers, we were all hoping to change our lives through education.
I wish for these current students the same opportunities for a family-sustaining job and a sense of a life well lived, when they look back on their time since GCC.
Our hope is well-founded. The essays the students write demonstrate the powerful voices they already possess.
They don’t need the distance of time to make the case for how GCC has already impacted their lives.
Regina Curtis is executive director of resource development at Greenfield Community College.