student stories

CLASS OF 2024
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION-
ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES

Men of Excellence Scholarship 

Phyllis Cotner Library Fund

Ruben Likoke was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His family migrated to Uganda when he was a young child. As a refugee in Uganda, Ruben was afforded the chance to see and appreciate a different side of life in Africa. “My early childhood was a blessing because I was able to experience new and different cultures, customs and beliefs,” he said. 

Rubenʼs family moved to the United States in 2015. “The biggest challenge when I moved to the United States was not a language barrier” — he had already learned English — “but the accents and dialects that were different from those I experienced growing up,” he said. He was never hampered; he continued to improve and sharpen his communication skills. He also learned to ask questions rather than stay silent. 

Rubenʼs goal after graduating from high school was to be the first in his family to go college. Ruben did just that, enrolling in SUNY Brockport as a biochemistry major. He did well until the COVID-19 pandemic required that he study from home, his grades dropped and he withdrew. Pivoting, Ruben enrolled in Monroe Community College and received support from several of the services MCC has to offer, including the Educational Opportunity Program. He secured a job working in the collegeʼs library and is tutoring math students this semester. Upon graduation from MCC, Ruben hopes to earn an advanced degree from SUNY Brockport and one day start his own business.

CLASS OF 2024
PSYCHOLOGY

The Brennan Family
Endowed Scholarship

Already having a college degree from the Dominican Republic, Ana Santos came to Monroe Community College at the recommendation of her aunt in hopes of getting a higher-quality education and better career opportunities than the ones she had in her country.

Anaʼs first language is Spanish. It was difficult for her when she first arrived at MCC late, after the start of the spring 2022 semester. She did not know anyone and struggled to learn her way around campus because of the language barrier. Ana did learn English, grew to love being on campus and grew to love its people. She joined the Student Government Association. 

Because she is an international student, Ana pays higher tuition rates, is not eligible for financial aid and cannot work on campus. With hard work, support from her aunt and uncle, the community at MCC and scholarships, Ana is flourishing. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, a resident assistant and MCCʼs student trustee. “I am extremely grateful to my Aunt Milagros and Uncle Amilcar De Leon for enrolling me at MCC to reach an academic goal that turned into so much more,” she said.

Six R. Williams

CLASS OF 2024
OPTICAL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Dominic P. Montulli Memorial
Endowed Scholarship

L3Harris Technologies Endowed Scholarship for Women in Technology

The Richard A. Nasca Memorial Scholarship for Optics Excellence

East High Optics Scholarship

Six Williams moved to Rochester, NY, when she was 12 years old by way of Ohio, then Virginia. She grew up in an impoverished household and was determined to show her siblings that a lack of money is not an automatic deterrence to higher education. She was inspired to pursue her dreams in honor of those who were not able to pursue theirs.

A graduate of East High School, Six knew she wanted a career in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field. Her interests lie in architecture and civil and optical engineering. She enrolled in Monroe Community Collegeʼs Optical Systems Technology program and has an internship at Corning Fairport as a technical apprentice. With a wide variety of interests, upon graduation, Six may pursue a second associate degree in auto repair, continue her education part time to ultimately earn a masterʼs degree in civil engineering, or earn an advanced degree in engineering optical tooling. “I aspire to live a life where I have a comfortable work-life balance. College is pathway to achieving that,” she said.

The scholarship support Six has received has helped drastically, paying for books and supplies. She has not had to undergo the financial struggles that she sees some students going through. “There are people and institutions willing to invest in the knowledge and passion that they see in you,” Six said. “I am thankful to all the donors who have believed in my ability and story and have aided me in my journey at MCC.”

Joseph William
Leichtner 

CLASS OF 2024
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION-
ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES

The Brennan Family
Endowed Scholarship

Student Leader Scholarship 

Joseph William Leichtner, who plans to have a career in law or business, is a second-year student at Monroe Community College. He is president of the Student Government Association, a Community College Representative for the SUNY Student Assembly, a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the MCC Honors Institute, serves on the Sustainability Steering Committee, is the head delegate for the Model United Nations program and maintains a 4.0 GPA. 

His path was not an easy one. At Brighton High School, Joseph was active in band, chorus, theater, track and football, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. But the COVID-19 pandemic brought all that to a crashing halt. The social isolation took a toll on him and he started to withdraw from friends and family. His grades suffered. When he graduated from high school, he was lost, he experienced mental health difficulties, he didnʼt know what he wanted to do and he didnʼt want to spend a prohibitive amount of money on college. As part of his healing process, he decided to enroll part time at Monroe Community College as a Business Administration major. “This wound up being one of the best decisions I could have made,” he said. “There is such a wide array of activities and extracurriculars to join. Once I started, I never looked back. MCC has so many opportunities you can take advantage of if youʼre just willing to look.” 

Jessica Marie Horner