Maya McFadden Photo
Amid family turmoil, Naama Gorham thought she might not make it to high school graduation. On Thursday, she found herself not only receiving her diploma —but in the door with her first college credits.
Gorham was one of 12 students who participated in a graduation ceremony at Gateway Community College for a new “Gateway to College” (GtC) program aimed at students seeking an alternative route to finishing high school and getting on the college track.
“I want a career, not a job,” said Tiffany Sewell a GtC graduate who spoke during her student testimonial about feeling a mental disconnect from her high school atmosphere at New Horizons School.
New Haven Public Schools Director of College & Career Pathways Dolores Garcia-Blocker. worked with New Haven Promise Director Patricia Melton to establish the program along with help from Mayor Toni Harp. The new collaboration between the New Haven public school district and Gateway Community College was announced as an alternative school program after the closing of Creed High School in 2018.
Thursday’s graduation ceremony was the second for the GtC program making the 12 GtC students the program’s second Class of 2019; the first graduation was in January for the first three participants.
Kam’Ron Prescott-Zollarcoffer: “All the support I had made school easier.”
Fifty friends and family members sat in the audience to celebrate the graduate’s dedication and accomplishments.
The graduates’ setbacks ranged from severe medical injuries, family responsibilities, teen pregnancy, to homelessness. Kam’Ron Prescott-Zollarcoffer graduated from the GtC program after suffering from both vision impairment and a brain injury caused by a car accident, which she said left her angry and isolated. She said she struggled to focus during in-class lectures and on smart boards while at Hill Regional Career High School.
Naama Gorham: “I had fallen behind in my studies due to life changes beyond my control.”
Gorham spoke of her struggle to manage her home responsibilities with six siblings, which ended up affecting her academics at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School. When her parents separated she had to make the decision to move out of her parents’ house at age 18 to refocus her dedication to high school.
During her student testimonial, Mickiaya Sanders said she felt out of place while attending Wilbur Cross High School and sought out the GtC program while pregnant at age 17.
Many of the students said that the GtC program helped them to mature and discover new passions for a higher education path.
“For the first time in a long time I actually feel like I belong,” said Gorham.
Patricia Williams: “Today is a day of triumph.”
While managing the setting adjustment of being on a college campus, the students also had to handle the responsibilities of asking their instructors and GtC members for help when needed, Gateway English instructor Patricia Williams said in a keynote address.
She called Thursday a “day of triumph.”
“All of you faced personal issues that not even us adults can fathom,” Williams said.