After an extraordinary year of COVID-19 challenges, 21 graduates of Montgomery County Community College’s Gateway to College Program received their high school diplomas on June 16. Their families and friends cheered as they moved their tassels and proudly stood before them.

“It is a wonderful day to be standing before you as we collectively celebrate the accomplishments of each of you to get to high school completion,” said Dr. Keima Sheriff, MCCC Assistant Dean of Student Programs. “Over the past three semesters, the Gateway staff and faculty have worked tirelessly to redesign the program to be able to support your various learning needs in the virtual educational environment. Our main two goals were to ensure that you had every possible resource to get to graduation and to make sure you did not give up on your dreams during what felt like hopeless days.”

Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, MCCC President, shared a special video message, congratulating the students and noting how they are “shining examples of how students can come to MCCC in academic danger and rise to academic success.” Dr. Raj Guttha, MCCC Trustee, also shared a congratulatory message, encouraging students to “soar high, achieve the unachievable, and seek out and reach your goals.”

Gateway to College and its dedicated faculty and staff help students stay on track to complete the requirements they need for their high school graduation and earn college credits. Since MCCC launched the program in 2013 at its Blue Bell and Pottstown campuses, 206 students have earned their high school diplomas.

Gateway is part of the Achieving the Dream national network that promotes community college reform and student success.

The graduates are:

• Colonial School District: Sierra Kitchener
• Cheltenham School District: Tiffany Rosado
• Daniel Boone School District: James Miller
• North Penn School District: Ameris Matanic
• Perkiomen Valley School District: Charles Cook, Annalise Gaither-Thornton, Joseph Krieg, Delroy Smith, Noah Tittle
• Phoenixville School District: Michael Tillotson
• Pottsgrove School District: Brennan McCarty
• Upper Merion School District: Bryan Bruno Garcia, Donte Jarrett, Guadalupe Monterrosas Miles, Ackeem Sangster
• Upper Moreland School District: Grace Anna Scott
• Upper Perkiomen School District: Layla Didomenico
• Wissahickon School District: Zyelle Fulton, Ginelle Mitchell, Brandon Newman, Shania Wiley

Seventeen of the graduates will be continuing their education at either MCCC or another college, three will be entering the workforce and one will be serving in the military.

“Through the Gateway to College Program, the graduates here today have been able to transform their pathways and make achievements that they may, at one time, thought were impossible,” said Phil Needles, Vice President of Student Services. “Education, combined with hard work, persistence and that vital network of support, enables students to overcome their challenges, move forward and reach their goals.”

MCCC’s Gateway Program is one of only two programs in Pennsylvania and is among 31 national programs in 19 states across the country. It is one of the first colleges to be a Bellwether finalist, a national award that recognizes programs or activities that have been designed and successfully implemented to foster or support teaching and learning.

MCCC’s Gateway program earned Achieving the Dream’s Program Excellence Award for three consecutive years for its success in helping students reach their goals.

During the ceremony, Dr. Sheriff described the lessons the “COVID curriculum” taught the Gateway graduates, not only for the program but also for the future as they start the next chapter.

She reminded them to 1) Have a vision, something to work for and work towards every day; 2) Have a plan and work it with flexibility; 3) Speak up and ask for help; 4) Create a support system; 5) Celebrate all of your achievements; and 6) Pause, reflect and reset.

Following the presentation, Jezerey Weiderman, one of the Gateway resource specialists, congratulated the students and told them that today was proof they “could do more.”

“Remember how great you are,” she said. “Not how great you can be, but how great you already are.”

Nineteen school districts – Boyertown, Cheltenham, Colonial, Daniel Boone, Exeter, Hatboro-Horsham, Jenkintown, Norristown, North Penn, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Souderton, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, Upper Perkiomen and Wissahickon – and Montco WorksNow, the County’s workforce investment board, collaborate with MCCC, referring students to the program.

Additionally, partners Waste Management, PECO, Univest, TD Bank, the Kahn family, the Maguire Foundation, the Malik family, Ambler Savings, Thompkins VIST Bank, First Priority Bank and the Gateway to College National Network have provided financial support for the program and student scholarships.

PECO, who has been a longstanding partner since 2013, provided funding to secure laptops for all Gateway students who needed them and for lunches two days a week for students who were able to come to campus for hybrid classes.

MCCC’s Gateway team includes Dr. Sheriff; Director of Student Support Programs Dr. Craig Smith; Resource Specialists Jezerey Weiderman and Esau Collins; faculty Diane McDonald, Karen Harding-Tasca, Stephanie Wuertz, Tracey Fida, Geraldine Plaisir, Timothy Gallagher, and Durrell Jones; and Administrative Support Secretary Constance Stebbins.

For more information, visit MCCC.