To recognize students who have overcome adversity to excel personally and academically, Naugatuck Valley Community College recently hosted a pair of special events to celebrate the exceptional achievement of students.  

President’s High Tea Ceremony
At the annual High Tea ceremony on Thursday, April 9, 2015 members of the NVCC campus community gathered to honor the extraordinary lives and achievements of 10 outstanding female students. The honorees were nominated by faculty and staff whose lives have been inspired by their students’ strength, patience, commitment and endurance to persist both in class and in life.

As a community college, NVCC welcomes and supports students from all walks of life. The High Tea event was established to recognize and acknowledge some of the profoundly challenging circumstances that fellow community members struggle through in order to receive a college education.

“It is through education that you find a path to a better life,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. “As you continue your journey… wherever you came from, this is where you belong,” she reminded the gathering.

For Jacqueline Ortiz, it has been a long and difficult journey. The mother of two found herself unemployed after her job was relocated. Ortiz tried for years to return to school but the demands of life, including financial hardship, parenthood, health issues and multiple moves, always created challenges.

Ortiz’s educational career has seen many fits and starts over the course of her life. Born in Puerto Rico, she moved to Waterbury as a child for first, second and third grades and then on and off for the subsequent two years, before returning to the island for high school. She also attended community college in Puerto Rico to become an administrative assistant, but never completed her degree.

When she returned to Connecticut 11 years ago, Ortiz says limited English proficiency was another challenge, but she persevered. To fully comprehend English phrases, she would use a computer to translate them to her native Spanish.

Two-and-a-half years ago, with renewed determination, Ortiz enrolled in the Hospitality Management program at NVCC. Her daughter and son, now 19 and 21 respectively, have been among her biggest motivators. “I want them to do well. I want them to know that even though I’m older, I can finish… I want them to finish and pursue their dreams and their goals and do it at a younger age.”

Ortiz is on track to graduate in December and hopes to pursue a career in nutrition or perhaps culinary arts.

Karen Rotella, program coordinator for Hospitality Management at NVCC, says Ortiz has been one of the mainstays of the program. “She’s a hard worker, she’s dependable, she’s reliable and she never complains,” despite the many hurdles she has faced in life.

“She’ll be successful in whatever she does,” said Rotella. “I think she’s starting to see maybe the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Ortiz’s story is just one of many that were shared at this year’s High Tea ceremony, and we are grateful that she has allowed us to share it as one small snapshot of the adversity our students overcome in their journey toward academic success. 

Positively Male Image Awards
Inspired by the President’s High Tea Ceremony, NVCC’s Male Encouragement Network (MEN) recognized outstanding male students at a luncheon on Monday, April 27 in the Technology Hall Dining Room. The ceremony, now in its second year, recognized nine students who have overcome adversity to achieve academic and personal success and maintained a GPA of at least 3.0.

“I am so delighted to be here celebrating with you the achievement of some of our male students who have done so well,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. “You’ll get good grades, you’ll do well and you’ll succeed, and then you’ll also have to remember to come back and do something for someone else,” she told the honorees.

President DeFilippis also noted that the College is closing the gap between male and female graduates. Since the MEN program was launched in 2011, the share of male graduates at the end of each academic year has increased 10 percent to 47.2 percent in May of 2014.

The President also offered her thanks to the countless faculty and staff on campus who serve as positive examples to students. “It’s powerful to see all these young men and all the role models that we have.”

Among the honorees was Brian Soto of Waterbury, who is scheduled to graduate from NVCC with an Associate’s Degree in General Studies in May of 2016. Soto’s father passed away at a young age and he was raised in a single-parent household. Soto says growing up without a father left a void in his life.

When he began taking classes at NVCC, Soto says the extensive support network made him feel as if he had a second family at the college, which indeed he does. Soto is extensively involved in the the Workforce Achievers Value Education (WAVE) program, which is designed to assist students with the transition to college and the job market.

“The WAVE program was a big factor in achieving my goals,” says Soto. “It created a bond between us. I picked up this good vibe off the people… I want to surround myself with positivity.”

“Brian is one of those students who is really dedicated to his education,” says Susan Houlihan, assistant coordinator of the WAVE program, who nominated Soto for the honor. “He has taken the adversity in his life and turned it into a positive and I felt that he needed to be recognized for that.”

Upon graduating next May, Soto plans to continue his education at Western Connecticut State University, where he plans to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. His long-term goal: become the Chief Financial Officer of a company.

“Everything that he’s done [at NVCC] leads up to what he wants to become in his career,” says Brunylda Padilla, Soto’s mother.