Student Stories

When Sam Osei ’06 came to the United States from Ghana to visit his sister, little did he realize he was embarking on a journey to a career he never dreamt possible. He became interested in nursing, helping to care for his terminally ill father. The problem was that in his native land nursing wasn’t viewed as a…

Bethany Watkins knows firsthand how getting a scholarship can help make someone’s educational dreams come true. That’s how it happened for her when she decided to pursue an associate’s degree after she completed high school, entered the workforce, and started her family. And that’s what attracted her to her first job after she graduated from Gateway Community College—program officer…

Looking back, even Cesar Rivaben ’14 is a little astonished at how far he has come in such a short period of time. Having grown up in Buenos Aires, Cesar immigrated to the United States in August of 2000. He arrived with $200 in his pocket and spoke no English. On May 22, Cesar walked across the…

Growing up in the Bronx, Edwin Martinez ’01 loved nothing better than tagging along with his uncle, a superintendent, on repair jobs. “I thought that was the most awesome job,” he recalls, “but my uncle encouraged me to aspire to do, and be, more.” That experience was the start of the journey that eventually led him to…

Pauline Dorsi ’14 graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 1989 with a BA in history. She worked at Health Net as a claims processor and became interested in procedure codes and diagnosis codes and how they work together to pay claims properly. Although she loved her job, she unfortunately was laid off in 2011. She…

When Patricia “Trish” Feliciano, 51, graduated high school, she hoped to study architecture, but a car accident made it impossible to lean over a drafting table. Unsure about her future, she entered the workforce, first as a teller at People’s Bank and later at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, working as a Behavorial Health Specialist.…

Gateway alum Victoria Verlezza is an accomplished, respected educator, consultant, and expert in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She earned a B.A. in Psychology (Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Genocide Studies) at Clark University, Worcester, Mass.; an M.Ed. (Higher Education Administration and Social Justice Education) at UMass (Amherst); and an M.A. and Ph.D.…

For single mom Kelsey Snedeker, grit, determination, and Gateway’s Family Economic Security Program (FESP) are helping her navigate challenging times. In 2018, Kelsey, pregnant with her now 2-year-old daughter Ariyah, graduated from Career High School along with her classmates. She gave birth one week later and enrolled at Gateway in August. She is now a full-time…

Earning an associate degree in Restaurant Food Services Management was a huge accomplishment for Sheena Infante Davis. Sheena entered the foster care system as a 6-year-old, living in seven different homes before being adopted, at age 15, by a single foster mother with whom she had been living for a year. The adoption was welcome, but…

Gateway’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training Program (SNAP E&T) wasn’t the first rung on Frances Rivera-Biaggi’s corporate ladder, nor will it be the last! SNAP helps low-income individuals and families buy healthy food. SNAP E&T is a tuition-free job-readiness program providing vocational training, career activities, and support services to SNAP beneficiaries. It offers education and/or…