Angel Tirado ’13
What led you to Middlesex County College?
I was not a willing participant when I first enrolled at MCC. My sisters forced me to go. Somehow they got me to orientation and I stuck around. It was not the most enthusiastic beginning, yet I felt encouraged by MCC’s offer of admission. Dismayed by my past grades in high school, I had characterized myself as ‘delinquent.’ I had concluded that college was just a wistful thought. When MCC gave me a second chance at my future, I began to see myself succeeding. That very first semester I made the dean’s list and I never looked back.
What challenges and opportunities has MCC afforded you?
Many students are unsure when it comes to college expectations. I was not ready for higher education after high school and I did have several challenges to overcome once I arrived at Middlesex. For example, I was concerned that I had never even taken the SAT’s. Yet I saw that MCC offered me a gateway to success. I credit my academic preparation at MCC in allowing me to earn a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers’ University. Yet I am still not finished learning. When the 2017 fall semester begins in September, I will be a proud member of the incoming class at Rutgers’ School of Law-Newark, where I will be a candidate for a Juris Doctor. Quite a trajectory for someone who thought no school would ever accept him as a student!
How has MCC help you establish educational success?
It’s the support programs at MCC that encourage students to continue with their studies. I believe I may have dropped out because I struggled with math courses and the assistance I received kept me going. Working up to the first college level math course was an arduous process. Math tutoring, along with computer-assisted learning (ALEKS) are the reasons I stayed at MCC. Without these tools, I would have never made it out of those initial courses. I became so proficient in math that I mastered Pre-Calculus, which I never thought possible. MCC gave me the tools to succeed!
Final Thoughts…
I am grateful for my academic success at MCC. Because of the groundwork the College laid, I can further my education even more. Despite discouragement in high school, MCC provides the opportunity to try again at education. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past—MCC concentrates on the present and the future to ensure each student finds their place in the world!