MCC Daily Tribune

Meet Members of the Class of 2022!

MCC's newest graduates are poised to make an impact. Learn how some of these graduates will be applying their MCC education to the local workforce and to advanced studies at area colleges. During the week leading up to Commencement day (June 2), several Class of 2022 members will be featured in the Daily Tribune / Student Tribune, on MCC's website and on social media channels. The success of our graduates keeps MCC inspiring every day. #MCC2022

NIA BEAZER

“MCC is wonderful. Anyone who chooses to pursue their future here has made the right choice.”

Nia Beazer was already a busy wife, mother and business owner living in New York City when COVID-19 hit. She had briefly attended college, worked in the model industry, taken a break to raise her children and become increasingly fascinated with her husband’s work in geospatial information science technology (GIST).

“It’s hard to believe there was a time I didn’t even know what GIST was,” said Nia. “But the more I learned about the difference you can make ─ the good you can do in this field ─ the more excited I was to pursue it.”

She began to research the online options while her children were learning from home during the pandemic. A few community colleges offer a GIST degree, but Nia was most impressed with the program information presented by MCC. “Timing is everything,” she said. “I realized they were prepping a fully online option, and an online option was going to be the best fit for me.”

For Nia, who began her MCC studies in fall 2020, two years have passed quickly. Among the experiences that will stay with her is her service as president of the student-run Mapping Club. Grateful for the support of her family, in particular her husband and in-laws, she is proud to be earning her degree ─ plus a GIST certificate and microcredential ─ in June. “It’s taken me 10 years to finish college, but I’m proof that it’s possible!”

“My MCC education has prepared me to go straight into the industry. I love that,” she added. “I can take the skills I’ve acquired and use them in the real world now.”

MICHAEL BURT

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you should never stop learning because life never stops teaching. MCC showed me that.”

After Michael “Mike” Burt moved from the Caribbean to Rochester, he earned his GED, received an internship, and worked at both the Rochester Museum and Science Center and DePaul Community Services. At DePaul, he said, his job didn’t just provide him with an income, it gave him a new perspective on life.

“To do a good job had always meant to work at the fastest pace possible,” the Ogden resident said. “But at DePaul, I learned how to interact with all kinds of people ─ people with different capabilities and perspectives. That’s where I began to understand that speed isn’t everything ─ and realized the importance of developing good interactions with people and great customer service skills.”

In spring 2019, the husband and father of two boys, David and Jacob, did something he never thought he’d do. He started college while working full time as a special projects supervisor in housing operations at Rochester Institute of Technology. But the college experience wasn’t what he’d anticipated. Mike thought he’d be on his own. He thought everything would be pretty much up to the individual student. That was before he started classes to earn a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) certificate.

“It’s almost like a family,” he said. “The professors are down-to-earth and approachable. They really want you to succeed.” Mike didn’t just survive college ─ he thrived at MCC, earning a HVAC certificate with distinction last December. He has even hired a few fellow students to work with him at RIT. “I’m proud of myself,” he said. “I’ve proved the doubters wrong. And my kids? They want to be like me when they grow up.”

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Hency Yuen-Eng
Community Relations
05/27/2022