Blog

In the grand scheme of things, it probably sounds almost silly to admit that such a small moment mattered to me, but it did. For a second, I felt known. I felt like I belonged. And that got me thinking about community colleges.

That is why events like Pizza with the President mean so much to me. They give me an opportunity to reconnect with the individuals at the center of everything we do. They constantly remind me that every student has a story, and their stories matter.

Our Quarterly Breakfasts provide an opportunity for community members to hear directly from the people who are leading programs, working to serve students, and helping shape the future of EC3.

One of my favorite parts of serving as President of Erie County Community College is hearing the stories behind our students' success. Statistics tell part of the story, but the real impact of a college is found in the lives that are changed along the way.

Here at EC3, we will welcome another group of students ready to take the next step toward a better future. It is an especially exciting season for us as we celebrate our fifth year of serving learners in our community!

We will likely never meet the student whose education was transformed by a scholarship or whose flat tire repair allowed them to get their car back on the road in time to make it to class. Yet, their stories become part of our community's story. Their stories are our stories.

Five years ago, I accepted the privilege of serving as the founding president of EC3. At the time, I knew the work would matter. I don't think I fully understood how much it would change me.

Recently I had an experience that has stayed with me and has me thinking deeply about the role each of us can play in shaping the next generation.

From my perspective, graduation also gives us an opportunity to look beyond the credential and to consider the human qualities that made this achievement possible in the first place. The biggest quality that I see when I look out across the room during commencement is grit.

The reasoning behind NOT asking, however, is solid. Jobs are changing rapidly — much faster than our curriculum cycles. We cannot reasonably keep up.