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<p><br />
YESSICA ARVIZU</p>

<p><em>&ldquo;MCC has given me so much: knowledge, experiences, friends, passion for learning, motivation, hope. &hellip; All of this makes me proud to be an MCC student, and soon a proud alumna.&rdquo;</em></p>

<p>Brighton resident and Mexico native Yessica Arvizu had already earned a bachelor&rsquo;s in mechatronics engineering and worked two years in her chosen field when she arrived at MCC in fall 2020. &ldquo;When I earned my first degree, I was only concerned with making money. I came to realize there&rsquo;s more to life,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s more that I can do.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Despite her college degree and related work experience, she was nervous about going back to school. &ldquo;It was a lot,&rdquo; Yessica said. &ldquo;I was self<strong>-</strong>conscious about being a foreign student. I was far away from my family, I didn&rsquo;t have any friends and I had decided that to be true to myself, I needed to pursue something new.&rdquo;</p>

<p>But she didn&rsquo;t let that nervousness derail her plans. Not only did Yessica make friends, she found assistance through <a href="https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/stdntsupp/">TRIO</a>, a federally<strong>-</strong>funded academic support program. MCC&rsquo;s TRIO program offers a comprehensive set of services to improve academic achievement, retention, graduation and transfer to four<strong>-</strong>year institutions.</p>

<p>Yessica, a dean&rsquo;s list student and member of MCC&rsquo;s honor society Phi Theta Kappa who also works two jobs, is very grateful for the help: &ldquo;There was not a day when I didn&rsquo;t learn something new or my knowledge wasn&rsquo;t challenged. Just as importantly, there was never a time when someone wasn&rsquo;t there to help.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On June 2, she will receive her degree in <a href="https://www.monroecc.edu/academics/majors-programs/stem/liberal-arts-associate-degree-general-studies/">liberal arts and sciences<strong>-</strong>general studies</a> with a certificate in advanced studies. Through MCC&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/transfer-services/2-2-degree-programs/">2+2 program</a>, Yessica will transfer to University of Rochester, where she will study to be a psychologist.&nbsp; &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so excited for the future,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m grateful to everyone who has helped me fulfill the dream of helping others through a career I can truly enjoy.&rdquo;<br />
<br />
<br />
ROBYN BARTLETT</p>

<p><em>&ldquo;I have a lot of friends who are moms like me and are looking to return to the workforce. I wish they would give more thought to the optics field.&rdquo;</em></p>

<p>If you ask Robyn Bartlett, it hasn&rsquo;t been a crazy year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a crazy, crazy, crazy year,&rdquo; she said.</p>

<p>Before coming to MCC in fall 2021 to pursue an <a href="https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/eomctech/programs/optical-systems-technology/">optical systems technology</a> certificate, Robyn was a stay<strong>-</strong>at<strong>-</strong>home mom and part<strong>-</strong>time grocery clerk. After her husband, Tyler, graduated from MCC in 2019 and landed a job in the precision machining industry, she began to consider the merits of returning to college as well. Tyler encouraged her to explore optics.</p>

<p>Robyn, who already has a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in psychology, met with Professor Alexis Vogt and quickly discovered the optics field was the right fit for her. Once Robyn began her MCC studies, balancing college work and the responsibilities of 6<strong>-</strong>year<strong>-</strong>old twins Amelia and Evelyn and 3<strong>-</strong>year<strong>-</strong>old Jonathan emerged as her biggest challenge. &ldquo;Trying not to feel too much mom guilt was tough sometimes,&rdquo; she said. Then Jonathan was diagnosed with leukemia. She thought about dropping out but decided instead to take things one step at a time. Fortunately, the type of cancer he has is treatable and Jonathan is doing well.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m finally starting to think about a brighter time for us. We were doing OK financially before I went back to school <strong>─</strong> but just OK,&rdquo; said Robyn. &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t think about a nicer home. We couldn&rsquo;t go on vacation. I&rsquo;m proud that we&rsquo;ve both worked so hard to create more opportunities for our family&rsquo;s future.&rdquo;</p>

<p>In February, Robyn was hired by IDEX Health and Science <strong>─</strong> three months before she officially earns her certificate. At some point in the future, her husband may return to college. Or she may decide to pursue a degree. For now, Robyn is looking forward to a far less crazy year. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t ever count yourself out,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m 32. I&rsquo;ve got three kids and I could have told myself that I couldn&rsquo;t make this happen. But I did. I tried for something better.&rdquo;</p>

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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. Starting today (May 26) through 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


YESSICA ARVIZU

“MCC has given me so much: knowledge, experiences, friends, passion for learning, motivation, hope. … All of this makes me proud to be an MCC student, and soon a proud alumna.”

Brighton resident and Mexico native Yessica Arvizu had already earned a bachelor’s in mechatronics engineering and worked two years in her chosen field when she arrived at MCC in fall 2020. “When I earned my first degree, I was only concerned with making money. I came to realize there’s more to life,” she said. “There’s more that I can do.”

Despite her college degree and related work experience, she was nervous about going back to school. “It was a lot,” Yessica said. “I was self-conscious about being a foreign student. I was far away from my family, I didn’t have any friends and I had decided that to be true to myself, I needed to pursue something new.”

But she didn’t let that nervousness derail her plans. Not only did Yessica make friends, she found assistance through TRIO, a federally-funded academic support program. MCC’s TRIO program offers a comprehensive set of services to improve academic achievement, retention, graduation and transfer to four-year institutions.

Yessica, a dean’s list student and member of MCC’s honor society Phi Theta Kappa who also works two jobs, is very grateful for the help: “There was not a day when I didn’t learn something new or my knowledge wasn’t challenged. Just as importantly, there was never a time when someone wasn’t there to help.”

On June 2, she will receive her degree in liberal arts and sciences-general studies with a certificate in advanced studies. Through MCC’s 2+2 program, Yessica will transfer to University of Rochester, where she will study to be a psychologist.  “I’m so excited for the future,” she said. “I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me fulfill the dream of helping others through a career I can truly enjoy.”


ROBYN BARTLETT

“I have a lot of friends who are moms like me and are looking to return to the workforce. I wish they would give more thought to the optics field.”

If you ask Robyn Bartlett, it hasn’t been a crazy year. “It’s been a crazy, crazy, crazy year,” she said.

Before coming to MCC in fall 2021 to pursue an optical systems technology certificate, Robyn was a stay-at-home mom and part-time grocery clerk. After her husband, Tyler, graduated from MCC in 2019 and landed a job in the precision machining industry, she began to consider the merits of returning to college as well. Tyler encouraged her to explore optics.

Robyn, who already has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, met with Professor Alexis Vogt and quickly discovered the optics field was the right fit for her. Once Robyn began her MCC studies, balancing college work and the responsibilities of 6-year-old twins Amelia and Evelyn and 3-year-old Jonathan emerged as her biggest challenge. “Trying not to feel too much mom guilt was tough sometimes,” she said. Then Jonathan was diagnosed with leukemia. She thought about dropping out but decided instead to take things one step at a time. Fortunately, the type of cancer he has is treatable and Jonathan is doing well.

“I’m finally starting to think about a brighter time for us. We were doing OK financially before I went back to school but just OK,” said Robyn. “We couldn’t think about a nicer home. We couldn’t go on vacation. I’m proud that we’ve both worked so hard to create more opportunities for our family’s future.”

In February, Robyn was hired by IDEX Health and Science three months before she officially earns her certificate. At some point in the future, her husband may return to college. Or she may decide to pursue a degree. For now, Robyn is looking forward to a far less crazy year. “Don’t ever count yourself out,” she said. “I’m 32. I’ve got three kids and I could have told myself that I couldn’t make this happen. But I did. I tried for something better.”

Attached Files:
Yessica Arvizu.jpg
Robyn Bartlett.jpg

Hency Yuen-Eng
Community Relations
05/26/2022