The Naugatuck Valley Community College Foundation was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Women’s Giving Circle at the Connecticut Community Foundation in support of the Women of Color Empowerment Collective (WCEC). The Connecticut Community Foundation Giving Circle voted to approve the grant which will allow the college to enroll 15 women of color in a program that focuses on empowerment and preparation to be role models, contributing members of the community, and college graduates. 

Angela Chapman, Associate Dean of Development, will oversee the NVCC WCEC program in collaboration with the Office of the NVCC CEO, Lisa Dresdner, Ph.D., the Women's Center, the Office of Institutional Research, and with input from the Center for Racial Dialogue and Social Justice. A committee from the collaborative and NVCC faculty will select 15 women of color enrolled at NVCC who have earned at least 12 credits resulting in a minimum 2.0 GPA. The overall goal of this program is to contribute to the participants’ personal growth, retention, and graduation. 

The Women of Color Empowerment Collective (WCEC) is a new program that will build off the successes of past programming. The cohort of students selected will be mentored and provided opportunities via speakers and other events to learn leadership, financial literacy, and public speaking skills, as well as participate in workshops and dialogues about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics.

This combination of events and discussions will provide a strong foundation to build their confidence and empower them for a capstone project that emphasizes the importance of educational outreach and civic responsibility. For this project the students will collaborate and plan a leadership conference for female students at NVCC and a small group of high school students from Waterbury and Danbury in honor of Black History Month and Women’s History Month. 

Recruiting for the program will begin in August and the program will begin in September. Chapman noted, “We are extremely grateful to the Women’s Giving Circle of the Connecticut Community Foundation for the opportunity to offer this exciting program to women of color enrolled at NVCC.  Centered on growth, accomplishment, and academic success leading to retention and graduation, this program facilitates the NVCC priority to close the equity gap.”