My City December 2022

MYSTORY

Dr. CheryWagonlander A MODEL EDUCATOR RETIRES BY PETER HINTERMAN

The students

beyond and it is all due in part to the tireless work of Flint’s own Dr. Chery Wagonlander.Through her years of effort,MMC has become a national model and a catalyst for the national middle/early college movement in education. “The opportunity fell upon me,” saysWagonlander. “It’s about providing equity and accessibility to the County’s disadvantaged students. Not once did I think it wouldn’t work. It simply had to.” Growing up a stone’s throw from Oak School on tiny Atwood St. in Flint, it seems young Chery was des tined for a career in education. “I ran a school on my front porch for stuffed animals and friends,” she smiled in memory. She attended Flint Central High and then Flint Southwestern, and after graduation enrolled at Mott Community College to pursue a ca reer in medicine. “My plan was to be come a medical doctor but, when I got toMCC, that track wasn’t available,” she remembers. “I could become a nurse or an educator. I was too proud to become a nurse – I wanted to be a doctor; so instead, I chose to become a doctor of kid’s minds.”With her course set,Wagonlander pursued her career through courses at MCC, UM-Flint, UM-Ann Arbor for her master’s level work,OaklandUniversity

come from all over Genesee County, each bringing a unique set of challenges.

Maybe they were being relentless ly bullied at their former school, maybe they had to slip away from school to help their family, maybe they were bored in class and needed somethingmore. Whatever the reason, this little

On t he campus of Mott Communi ty College exists a smaller school, a different school – set up to function differently with the sole purpose of helping students who learn differently. Known as “slipaway” students, they may need extra help with their studies, or en couragement, or help with emotional or economic needs, or perhaps a challenge better than those provided at a traditional high school.

school atMCC exists solely to provide the access and equity these students deserve to have a fair chance at college and personal success.The school is MottMiddle College (MMC) and its mission is to “prepare high school, at risk students for a successful work and educational future through the full integration of high school, community college and the world of work.” Since its start in 1991,MMC has helped thousands of students go on to succeed at the college level and

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