Sixty young people in the city of Rochester who didn’t have the time, motivation and/or commitment to complete high school will walk across a graduation stage on Aug. 9. They will receive a certificate acknowledging their dedication over the past year to their education.
The ceremony will be the last of its kind. An application for funding of STAGE (Skills, Training, Academics, Growth, Employment) from RochesterWorks! was not accepted for the 2007-08 academic year.
“MCC extends its deep appreciation to the team of six, led by Director Samson Olaode, who changed the lives of so many young people in our area,” said Barbara Connolly, dean of academic services on the Damon City Campus.
STAGE, located at the Damon City Campus, educated men and women 17 to 21 years old who did not complete high school and were seeking career guidance and self-direction. The program not only prepared students to take the General Equivalency Diploma (GED), but helped them apply for college, gain worthwhile employment, develop self-esteem and values, manage stress, and learn effective budget and parenting skills.
More than half of this year’s participants in the STAGE program already have obtained their GED. They are among thousands of students who participated in STAGE during its 28 years. Over the past decade, STAGE served nearly 500 students, and last year alone, 83 percent of the students successfully completed the program.
Success stories are easy to find in the STAGE program. Take for example Charlena Williams, a student who graduated in 2004. In high school in May 2003, Charlena was struggling during her final exams, trying to cope with the loss of her mother. She was having difficulty studying and paying attention in class. It looked like she wasn’t going to pass her exams. Her father desperately wanted Charlena, the third of four daughters, to receive a diploma so he searched around for programs, and he found STAGE.
“I was an OK student before, but not as focused as I was in the STAGE program,” Charlena said at the graduation ceremony three years ago. At that time, she planned to attend MCC and study nursing.
In addition to funds from RochesterWorks!, STAGE was funded by the MCC Foundation, New York State Department of Labor and the Rochester City School District.
The STAGE graduation will take place at 10 a.m. at the Wishing Well Party House on Chili Avenue. The MCC community is welcome to attend. Please RSVP by calling 262.1683 by Wednesday.
Dianne E McConkey
Public Affairs
08/06/2007 |