This afternoon as I walked with the nurse to my doctor’s appointment, she turned to me and said, “Thank you.” I must have had a puzzled look on my face. She smiled, told me her son’s GPA, and said, “I don’t know how MCC does it, but he never produced this in high school. He came home after his first semester and told me he wanted to become a history teacher. All I could think was ‘Thank God for MCC!’” As much as I was happy to receive these thanks, the truth is they belong to you. The past week’s Salute to Excellence, especially in its induction of MCC’s First Class into the MCC Alumni Hall of Fame, was a tribute to the 50 years of teaching excellence, unwavering student support, and (yes) everyday magic that is at the heart of MCC. In my remarks that night, I shared some comments from scholarship essays recently written by our students. Each fragment is a glimpse into the golden opportunity that MCC offers our community, capturing our students saying -- in words eloquent and plain -- “thank you.”
* Through MCC a person can go through an incredible journey
* A degree from MCC is a beginning
* MCC is a key that unlocks many doors … each [opening] toward a better life
* A degree from MCC will mean the world to me
* MCC enables me to pursue my dream
* MCC means ‘Start of a new life’ for me
In this season of grey early mornings and cold, dark nights; of exams, papers, and grading; of calls, emails, and growing stacks of forms, please remember that -- even when it seems that no one notices -- they do … and what they notice is that you are working to make our students’ futures much, much better. So, on behalf of my nurse, her son, our students and alumni, our Board and community, and myself, I also say, “Thank You!”
I hope you have a joyous holiday overflowing with warmth, family, and food. Happy Thanksgiving!
Who would you like to thank? Please share your thoughts on the blog.
Anne Kress
President's Office
11/23/2011 |