Genesee Community College Criminal Justice student Kadeja Jenkins (above photo, on right) is an inaugural recipient of the new Norman R. McConney Jr. Award.
The State University of New York presented the Educational Opportunity Program Student Excellence honor last month at the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan.
EOP provides access, academic support and financial aid to students who show promise for success in college but who may not have otherwise been offered admission.
SUNY established the EOP Norman R. McConney Jr. Award this year to recognize students who have overcome significant obstacles in their own lives and who have demonstrated academic success, courage, perseverance and leadership qualities in achieving their educational and personal goals.
Having lived in New York City all her life, Jenkins enrolled in a local community college, but she struggled to stay focused on her education while meeting the demands of her home life.
She began searching for an affordable college away from the distractions of the city.
"GCC offered exactly what I was looking for," Jenkins said. "The Criminal Justice major fit well into my plan to become a probation officer, and the quiet country area was all new to me and it allowed me to focus and get away from everything that interfered with my studies before."
But even from 350 miles away, interruptions from home continued to test Jenkins's commitment to her college education.
While home in NYC for the summer and contemplating dropping out of college, she received a call from Thomas C. Priester, Ph.D., GCC's associate vice president of Student Success, who offered Jenkins an opportunity to be an EOP Navigator. Students so designated guide and mentor the newest EOP students at GCC's Summer Academy.
"To me, being given the opportunity to come back to campus early as an EOP Navigator was a sign that I belonged at GCC," Jenkins said. "It changed everything. I got myself registered for classes and back on campus, and it has been a wonderful experience. I am on track to graduate in January of 2020.
Guests at the inaugural EOP Honors Awards Ceremony in Manhattan heard from EOP graduate, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and also SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson (top photo, left).
"Through the EOP, SUNY has changed the course of so many lives and has given so many students the chance to excel and pursue their dreams," Chancellor Johnson said at the ceremony. "We are enormously proud of the students receiving these awards today.
"Many of them have overcome enormous obstacles to fulfill goals that once may have seemed unattainable. I applaud every one of them for demonstrating perseverance and determination."
Jenkins offers this advice to students who may be struggling: "Don't give up! Things may not go the way you expected -- but it all plays out the way it's supposed to in the end."
Through her hard work and perseverance Jenkins earned a place in GCC's Recognition Matters series, which highlights the accomplishments of the College's faculty, staff and students.
Officials at GCC have embraced this series as a way to acknowledge not only the achievement, but the high quality of the recognized individuals who demonstrate GCC's "beyond expectations" brand.
Submitted photo: SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson, left, and honoree Kadeja Jenkins. Information from Genesee Community College.
