My City August 2021

MYCOMMUNITY

return to college after stepping out to work full-time in health care. “The Futures for Frontliners program was the deciding factor in my return to col lege,”Wesley says. “I told myself I would do it right this time, go to completion and earn my degree.”His goal is to earn a nursing de

gree at MCC and then transfer to UM Flint to become a nurse practitioner. Wesley is on track to join one of the fastest growing career fields. Demand for healthcare occupations is projected to grow 15 percent by 2029, adding about 2.4 million new jobs to the economy, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When classes resume in September, Wesley will join his fellow frontliners and more than 500 Michigan Reconnect students at MCC, for a combination of in-person, hybrid and online courses.The College will continue to require masks indoors for the fall semester, and encour ages students and staff to get vaccinated to help protect themselves and others. “We are looking forward to engaging with our students face-to face again,” Jason Wilson says of the upcoming fall semester. “We have some great things planned for Student Life this coming academic year to make our students’ college experience special,” he says, adding “as we have learned to appreciate in the past year and a half, it ’s better when we’re together.” p

It is a changing world out there – not just because of the COVID pandemic and the restrictions it im posed on everything and everyone for more than a year – but because global connections influence every aspect of our lives. Being prepared to compete in a global marketplace is key to indi vidual success and to the success of our local, state and national economies. Mott Community College is ready to help students prepare for a changing world with a supportive learning environ ment and degree and certificate programs that will open more opportunities for suc cess for everyone from current high school Mott Community College MCC: Changing Lives for a Changing World

students who want to dual enroll, to re cent high school grads ready to get started, or for people already in the workforce who want updated skills and a credential. “There has never been a better time to go to college,” states Jason Wilson, Vice President for Student Academic Success. “Two new statewide scholarship programs are making community college free for frontline workers and those 25 and older, so earning a college credential just got easier for a lot of people.” The two state-funded programs offering free community college tuition are Futures for Frontliners and Michi gan Reconnect. Frontline workers who worked through the pandemic, and Michiganders 25 and older, who do not already have a degree, have an opportu nity to earn an associate’s degree or skills certificate.While Futures for Frontliners has closed its application process, Michi gan Reconnect is still accepting applica tions at michigan.gov/reconnect/. Frontliners like Brandon Wesley, 26, of Flint, jumped at the chance to

20

MYCITYMAG.COM