student stories

 

Ruben Muanda Likoke

“The scholarships I received are helping me pay my college debt. Being the first in my family to go to college is a blessing and I must utilize every opportunity I come across. I am very grateful.”

 

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.

 

ana s. santos

“I would not be able to afford an MCC education, succeed academically and be more involved around campus if it was not for the financial support I get from my aunt, my uncle and the scholarship I get as a student leader.”

 

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

 

“Education is important and crucial to gaining a better understanding of the world around us.” 

 

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 

 

“I couldnʼt have done all of this without help from the MCC Foundation, whose scholarships are instrumental in my success. They allowed me to focus on school and really helped take the financial burden off of me and my family.”

 

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.” 

 
 

Denaresh Marie Quinones-Santana

“My words of encouragement to anyone struggling in college facing similar things I have are: No matter how hard times become and how bad things may seem, remember how strong you are. Everything will work out if you keep pushing through. Don’t give up, because failure is not the answer.”

Denaresh Marie Quinones-Santana is a 20-year-old Hispanic woman who grew up in the city, in a low-income family. When the time came for her to go to college, she wasn’t ready and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do career-wise. 

She chose to enroll in Monroe Community College, persisting through the many hardships she faced in her first year: managing an ongoing health issue, losing her great-grandmother and two grandparents within a year, facing eviction, and experiencing car problems and having to rely on the bus, making it hard to get to class on time. She applied for and received scholarship support, which helped her pay for tuition, bills and car repairs. By the end of her first year, she had earned a 3.0 GPA, become a peer navigator and was president of Campus One80, a Christian Fellowship student organization. 

“We didn’t have much, but that didn’t stop me from going to school. My mom made sure no matter what, I would get to school even if there was no car,” Denaresh said. “The scholarships I received have truly been a blessing, helping me stay in school so I would not have to drop out and work a minimum-wage job instead.”

Now in her second year at MCC, Denaresh has narrowed down her next steps — one path will take her to RIT to study interior design, then architecture, leading to a career that combines the two; the other path will take her into the culinary world. She is passionate about both. 

“I am very proud of myself,” she said. “Through all the challenges I faced growing up, I did not let them stop me from being a caring and loving person. I have big dreams, and I will achieve my dreams no matter what!”

CLASS OF 2024
ARTS AND HUMANITIES

MCC Assist

Wegman Family Charitable
Foundation Scholarship

Women of Excellence
Scholarship

 
 

Jessica Marie Horner

 

“I was very excited to be accepted into the dental hygiene program, especially when I was informed of how competitive it was. Iʼve always had a passion for helping people, which ultimately led to my decision of pursuing a career in the healthcare field.”

 

Jessica Marie Horner was raised in the small town of Brasher Falls, NY. Growing up, her family was never financially stable. In May of 2018, her father passed away, which had a significant impact on Jessicaʼs family, especially financially. Her mother selflessly took on both parenting roles to four children. 

Jessica was accepted into Monroe Community Collegeʼs nationally accredited dental hygiene program as a senior in high school. Finishing high school while suffering the loss of her father was difficult, but she watched how strong her mom, her role model, was. Jessica was inspired by her to push through and dedicate herself to her studies, hoping for a better outcome for her future. In July 2022, one month before she was to embark on her new journey at MCC, Jessicaʼs life was turned upside down when her mother unexpectedly passed away. Once again, her family was traumatically impacted and, as a result, Jessicaʼs mental health suffered. Jessicaʼs hometown is four hours away from MCC; leaving her family at such a vulnerable time was difficult. She moved to Rochester with nothing but the dream of making both of her parents proud as she began the next step in her life without them.

Because Jessica and her siblings were faced with a surplus of expenses after her motherʼs passing, she knew she would be responsible for all her living expenses while attending MCC. She applied for and received scholarship support. Now in her second year at MCC, Jessica is on track to graduate in spring 2024 and has received an offer of employment in a pediatric dental practice. “These scholarships have decreased the stress of the financial burden I am under and have ultimately allowed me to focus on my studies, rather than attempting to find a job to pay for my education,” she said. “I am so thankful for all the programs that MCC has to offer to help students in need. It is truly is a great community. I am very honored to be a recipient of these scholarships and am extremely grateful to be able to share my story.” 

CLASS OF 2024
DENTAL HYGEINE

Donald W. Holleder
Scholarship Endowment 

Marcia W. McDowell
Presidential Endowed
Scholarship for
Academic Excellence

Wentworth Family
Endowed Scholarship

Wegman Family Charitable
Foundation Scholarship