Thirty-six young men and women who graduated from high school in June got a head start on their studies over the summer at Naugatuck Valley Community College thanks to the Community College Scholars (CCS) program. For five weeks, scholars participated in classes, went on field trips, engaged in social activities and forged campus connections that will enhance their time at NVCC and throughout their lives. On August 13, the CCS summer program wrapped up with a cookout on the plaza.

NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. praised the scholars for dedicating their summer to learning and preparing for the fall semester. “You seize the moment when it happens,” she said. “Opportunity knocks once; we’re young once, you have the opportunity to educate yourself, to advance yourselves and you seize the moment.”

President De Filippis likened the opportunity to hummingbirds: They travel a long distance, but we may only see them for a fleeting moment. You must embrace that opportunity when it presents itself, she said.

“I will be here to support you in the next step you take on this wonderful journey, which is to become an educated and civic-minded citizen of this beautiful country,” President De Filippis told the scholars.

All of the CCS students are enrolled at NVCC for the fall semester. Fourteen more will join the program’s ranks by the end of September. Now in its fourth year, the CCS program provides students with structured academic support and skill-building personal enrichment activities which help them succeed in college and beyond.

“We’re really focused on the success of our students,” said Nicole Ariyavatkul, CCS program coordinator. “We really want to see them stay in school, retain them and also graduate them within three years.”

CCS students who participated in the summer program went through NVCC’s First Year Experience class; some also took a math or English course. In addition, they went on fieldtrips, visiting the Yale University Art Gallery, Riverfront Recapture in Hartford for a team-building exercise and Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden for hiking.

Keila Franco, who graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, took a math course at NVCC this summer to prepare for the fall semester. “It’s a great experience for any freshman who’s coming into the College,” she said. Franco hopes to become a social worker in a hospital or a correctional institution.

For Sage Rosario, who comes to NVCC from W.F. Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury, the CCS summer experience was a good introduction to college. “I felt this would be a good community. You get to have friends before starting the fall semester,” she said. Rosario also had high praise for the coordinators of the program. “When you’re a freshman in college, you need somebody to be there for you.”

Ariyavatkul says enhancing the college experience for students is what makes the CCS program so rewarding. “We’re really excited about this new group of students. It’s always fun to see the new faces and all the potential and get to know each and every one of them.”

Registration for the CCS program typically begins at the end of the spring semester for those eligible for the summer portion of the program and continues into the fall semester until the program is full. Applications are taken throughout the year, as spaces will sometimes become available.