Seventeen graduating students in Montgomery County Community College’s Gateway to College program were honored during a ceremony at the Blue Bell Campus recently.

The Gateway to College Program and its experienced faculty and staff help students, who have disengaged from high school, complete the requirements they need for their high school diploma and earn college credits. Since MCCC launched the program in 2013 at its Blue Bell and Pottstown campuses, 291 students have earned their high school diplomas, transforming their pathways.

MCCC’s Gateway Program earned the national Achieving the Dream Program Excellence Award for seven consecutive years for its success in helping students reach their goals. Gateway is part of the Achieving the Dream national network that promotes community college reform and student success.

Michelle Kulla, Gateway to College Program Manager, announced that nearly every graduate in this year’s class who completed the program graduated on time with their high school class.

“A feat many of them didn’t believe was possible,” she said. “These young people worked hard to rewrite the script on their education, and I could not be more proud. I hope you are proud of yourselves.”

In her welcome remarks during the program, Dr. Vicki Bastecki-Perez, MCCC President, quoted Winston Churchill who said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

“Graduates,” said Dr. Bastecki-Perez, “you have demonstrated that courage. You chose to keep going when the road was uncertain. You chose to believe in yourselves, even when self-doubt might have crept in and tried to convince you otherwise. You showed up—sometimes with a nudge or support from our caring Gateway team —but always with the strength and will to move forward. And, that’s what truly counts.”

Class Valedictorian Keylin Rivera said she felt pride for the journey it took to get to graduation day. A Costa Rican immigrant, she came to the United States and learned to speak English in six months.

“Today I don’t just graduate with a high school diploma,” she said. “I graduate with pride, resilience and an accent that carries my identity. I’ve worked extremely hard, learned more than I ever thought I could and discovered that being different is actually a gift given by God.”

Dr. Michael Harcum, Director of Admissions and Recruitment, commended the students during his graduation address.

“To our graduates,” he said. “I could have met you anywhere, but the fact that I met you on a college campus – it speaks volumes about both your character and your capabilities.”

The graduates include the following students from the participating school districts:

Abington: Nasir Brown

Boyertown: Nathan Marshall

Daniel Boone: Emily Hand

Souderton: Soren Renshaw, Bryant Todd

Upper Merion: Nevaeh Wilhelm, Sy'Niah Smith, Raymond Belle, Johnathan Thomas, Kiana Mariscal

Wissahickon: Alanah Johnson, Kristian Kore, Ariana Phillips, Roqui Andino, Isaac Sterling, Mia McKinney, Keylin Rivera

Seven graduates will continue their education at MCCC and two will attend another higher education institution. Three graduates will attend a trade school, while five will enter the workforce. In addition to receiving their high school diplomas, each graduate earned between 9 to 30 credits.

Six special awards were presented to several outstanding graduates. The award for Most Determined was presented to Raymond Belle. The Change of Heart Award was presented to Nasir Brown. The Perseverance Award was presented to Johnathan Thomas and Roqui Andino. The PECO Rising Stars were Mia McKinney and Emily Hand. The Transition Student of the Semester Award was presented to Soren Renshaw. The 4.0 Academic Excellence Award was given to Keylin Rivera.

MCCC’s Gateway Program is one of only two programs in Pennsylvania and is among 28 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.

A total of 22 school districts – Abington, Boyertown, Cheltenham, Colonial, Daniel Boone, Exeter, Hatboro-Horsham, Jenkintown, Norristown, North Penn, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Souderton, Springfield, Spring-Ford, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, Upper Perkiomen and Wissahickon – collaborate with MCCC, referring students to the program.

Additionally, partners PECO and Univest have provided financial support for the program and student scholarships. For the last 11 consecutive years, Gateway to College has received a $10,000 grant from PECO as part of its “Building Exelon's Future Workforce" grant that assists with local institutions that offer STEM and educational enrichment opportunities.

MCCC’s Gateway team includes Program Manager Michelle Kulla; Resource Specialist Esau Collins; and faculty Michael Baron, David Pica, Stephanie Wuertz and Dr. Victoria Vetro.