Middlesex Community College's Education Program Helps Students Pursue Longtime Dreams

Cambridge MA

06 May, 2022

7:03 AM

Description

Press release from the Middlesex Community College: May 5, 2022 Two adult learners are getting the chance to pursue their dreams of working in education because of Middlesex Community College's Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. Both Musu Gaye, from Liberia, West Africa, and Sandra Senion-Vaughn, of Lowell, are taking advantage of online classes to complete their requirements and start their careers. "The benefit of the ECE program for students includes the coursework, materials and support services they receive through the academic pathway at MCC, while actively being engaged," said Nancy Pynchon, MCC's Director of the ECE Career Pathways Grant. "The goal is to help students who would like to advance academically and professionally in their positions as an early childhood educator, and the Career Pathways funding allows them to pursue their goals." Since the inception of the ECE Career Pathways grant at Middlesex in 2019, over 800 students have had coursework paid for towards their ECE Certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees. Although working in education has been a longtime goal of hers, Gaye never felt that the option was available to her. After being encouraged by a friend to look into Middlesex, she learned a lot about the industry and found a community of support. This includes guidance from professor Nancy Pynchon who has worked with her a lot one-on-one. "As an adult student with a disability and a first-generation student, I have learned and experienced a lot," Gaye said. "The inclusion, resources, diversity, help and many more benefits make the learning process smooth for adults." Gaye's interest in education stems from wanting to work with younger children. Her hope is to return to Liberia to teach and work with and underrepresented population of students. "Kids are curious learners, they want to know what is in that box, how did it get there," she said. "I want to go back home to teach because of this curiosity." Having worked in education for a long time as a substitute in the Lowell public school system and as a teaching assistant, Senion-Vaughn wants to earn a degree to advance in her career. She believes that having a certification is going to make her resume stand out more to employers. "I've always been in education," Senion-Vaughn said. "That has been my passion, I love working with kids. I want that diploma so I can have something to fall back on and then after that, I can retire. It has given me a lot of job opportunities." Senion-Vaughn chose Middlesex because it was close to home and she wanted to do a two-year program instead of four to start. Throughout her experience, she has enjoyed the campus, professors, and all of her classes. "The best part about MCC is the compassion for students," and the willingness from professors to help," she said. "They're there to help the students." This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author's own.