MCC Daily Tribune

Help Build the World of Tomorrow by Empowering Innovation at MCC

Your gift to the Annual Fund for Monroe Community College helps write so many of the MCC success stories we hear about every day. Stories you help create—like that of MCC student Denaresh Marie Quinones-Santana.

Denaresh grew up in the City of Rochester in a low-income family but she hasn’t let this stop her from pursuing her dreams. “We didn’t have much, but that didn’t stop me from going to school. My mom made sure no matter what, I would get to school even if there was no car,” said Denaresh.

Yet her journey has not been easy. She faced many hardships during her first year at MCC including managing an ongoing health issue, losing her great-grandmother and two grandparents, facing eviction, and struggling to find transportation to class. The scholarship support that Denaresh received has kept her on the path to success, assisting her with bills relating to tuition, living expenses, and car repairs. “The scholarships I received have truly been a blessing, helping me to stay in school so I would not have to drop out and work a minimum wage job instead,” she said.

Denaresh is now in her second year at MCC and has narrowed down her future to two career paths: one path will take her to RIT to study interior design, then architecture leading to a career that combines both, and the other path will take her into the culinary world. 

Gifts from faculty and staff donors have made it possible for Denaresh and hundreds of other scholarship recipients to follow their dreams and work towards a degree that will lead to family-sustaining wages. We hope that you will consider visiting the faculty and staff giving webpage to make your pledge or online gift, or to set up payroll deductions. 

Emily Birnie
MCC Foundation
11/15/2023