BOR Funds Free Community College For Fall 2020

Three Rivers College Foundation receives $5,000 grant from Chelsea Groton Foundation

The Three Rivers College Foundation was recently awarded $5,000 from the Chelsea Groton Foundation to support tutoring. The College has migrated to an entirely online learning model due to covid-19 which has created a shift in how students are educated.  This learning change has been incredibly difficult for many of our most vulnerable students who lack the necessary technology and have trouble successfully engaging in an online learning environment.

The funds Chelsea Groton has generously provided will support high demand tutoring services so that students can stay on track to reach their educational goals.

The Chelsea Groton Foundation is committed to supporting the long-term growth of our community through supporting education, economic development and various community initiatives. Together, the Three Rivers College and Chelsea Groton Foundations will provide a pathway to success for students in our region.

In the News | Three Rivers students had virtual commencement

NORWICH — Samantha Zod, a Three Rivers Community College graduate from Mystic, said she, like many, didn’t expect her graduation ceremony to go the way it did.

“I was on my couch in my slippers,” the graphic design major said.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, Three Rivers held a virtual commencement on Saturday, the first time in its 55-year history according to Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services Robert Farinelli.

“Today’s virtual commencement will be different from Three Rivers usual commencement but, we will still bring you all of the important parts that matter,” he said during the ceremony.

Three Rivers Community College President Mary Ellen Jukoski reflected on the uniqueness of the current moment during her graduation speech for virtual commencement.

The virtual commencement started with a compilation of time-lapse footage taken in and around the Three Rivers campus. Then, anthropology professor William O’Hare played bagpipes, which was Zod’s favorite part of the ceremony.

“It’s kind of a staple of any graduation ceremony,” she said.

Then, speeches were given. Three Rivers President Mary Ellen Jukoski reflected on the uniqueness of the current moment.

“Your lives are going to be marked by the pandemic in the same way that previous generations experienced Pearl Harbor and World War II, the Vietnam War, 9-11, and the recent national events revealing some ugly and enduring inequities in American society,” she said Saturday.

Jukoski also hoped students would be inspired by these ongoing struggles.

“Can you show us how to create a new world, a world more kind and compassionate, where social justice inequities are addressed,” she said. “Your graduation is an invitation to use your education to begin to heal the afflictions of society by applying the best of what you have learned in your head and felt in your heart.”

The last speech given was from Sebastian Bartosiak, the Three Rivers Student Government Association president. He compared the current semester to the trials and tribulations faced by the characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” “with the trek through Mordor comparable to the experience of social distanced learning, figuratively of course.”

“I decided that I wouldn’t let this pandemic hold me back from creating valuable connections and memories that I will always hold close to me,” he said. “My hope is that you have created your own memories here too.”

For Zod, she felt being at home made the graduation ceremony more personal, since she was joined by her boyfriend and family members.

“It was kind of cool to have that intimate moment as well, ” she said.

For Zod’s future, she wants to work in a graphic design job while working on a bachelor’s degree at Central Connecticut State University. When asked about high school students that might be disappointed in their own socially distanced ceremonies, Zod said it won’t be their only graduation.

“Keep on working really hard, and you deserve the honor of an in-person one as well,” she said.

—By Matt Grahn, The Bulletin staff writer

The original article can be found here: “Three rivers students had virtual commencement”

In the News | Online graduation ceremony celebrates ‘the COVID-19 class’ at Three Rivers

Norwich (The Day June 13,2020)— Many Three Rivers Community College students have experienced disruptions as they struggled to earn a college degree — work, family life, physical challenges, language barriers — but a global pandemic added a different twist for the Class of 2020.

Instead of gathering on the college lawn in Saturday’s perfect weather, the approximately 450 graduates receiving degrees and certificates celebrated at home as they watched the virtual ceremony online. About 190 students filed personal profiles online to receive congratulatory notes from family and friends.

“You will always be remembered as the COVID-19 class when you talk about your graduation from Three Rivers in the days and years to come,” college President Mary Ellen Jukoski said. “Your lives are going to be marked by the pandemic in the same way that previous generations experienced Pearl Harbor and World War II, the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the recent national events revealing some ugly and enduring inequities in American society.”

Wilfredo Dolores reacts as his name is announced while his mother, Sandra Santana, captures it with a video on his cellphone while watching the Three Rivers Community College graduation ceremony Saturday, June 13, 2020, at their home in New London. Dolores’ aunt and uncle Nery Santana and Ricardo Francisco and grandfather Miguel Santana also watched the ceremony. (Dana Jensen/The Day)

Jukoski said more than the pandemic, 2020 graduates will face the challenges of persistent racial inequities and the call for social justice.

“Can the disruption wrought by COVID-19 be a call to action for the graduates of the Class of 2020?” she said. “Can you show us how to create a new world, a world more kind and compassionate, where social justice inequities are addressed? Your graduation is an invitation to use your education to begin to heal the afflictions of society by applying the best of what you have learned in your head and felt in your heart.”

Graduate Wilfredo Dolores, 25, celebrated Saturday with his mother and grandmother at their New London home. Dolores, one of five siblings, became the first in his family to graduate from college, earning an associate degree in engineering sciences.

Dolores immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic four years ago. He applied to Three Rivers and started learning English.

At first, he said, school was “kind of easy,” because he was taking math classes. He got a job working in a nursing home, and school got tougher.

“The first semester, I would cry every single day because I was trying to learn the language and not fall behind,” Dolores said. “I had to write down everything and go home and try to figure it out.”

He will transfer to the University of Connecticut to major in manufacturing and business and is looking for internship opportunities in manufacturing.

Graduate Doug Capazzi of Groton planned to watch Saturday’s ceremony with his very supportive girlfriend, Allison Keck of Waterford. Afterward, Capazzi planned to celebrate with family and friends at his favorite restaurant, Two Brothers Pizza in Salem.

Capazzi, a 1998 graduate of Ledyard High School, joined the U.S. Army that September and served two tours in Iraq. He injured his back on his second tour and left the Army as a staff sergeant to be home for his young son. Capazzi held different jobs while working on his nonprofit, Guardians of the Purple Heart.

“Being available in that capacity I realized this is what I want to be doing full time, working with veterans,” Capazzi said. “I knew the only way to get that done, and to work with the veteran community, was I needed a degree.”

Using the GI Bill, Capazzi left his security job at the Millstone Power Station in 2018 and went to Three Rivers full time. Now 40, and with his son, Nicholas, in middle school, Capazzi graduated with an associate degree in psychology studies. He enrolled full time at Eastern Connecticut State University studying industrial/organizational psychology.

Capazzi said he felt “out of place” at first, sitting in classes with students 20 years younger than him, but became more comfortable in time.

“It’s a little bit weird, because I never saw myself going to college,” Capazzi said. “In high school, my grades were nothing to put on the refrigerator. One of the things I’m most proud of, I was able to stay on the dean’s list the whole time (at Three Rivers).”

Graduate Mary Ellen Wilcox, 61, of Norwich has seen global events disrupt her life before. A 1977 Norwich Free Academy graduate, Wilcox said she “walked away” from a college basketball scholarship for a chance to play on the U.S. Olympics handball team. She played in the Pan-Am games and trained for the 1980 Olympics. But President Jimmy Carter pulled out of the games in Russia in response to the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan.

Wilcox came home and entered the workforce. She enrolled at ECSU, but she found it “cold,” with no friends or support. She “met someone,” gave birth to a daughter and left college behind. Wilcox now is a licensed field adjuster in the Geico corporate office, traveling the country to assist with insurance claims following natural disasters.

But her family and Geico co-workers encouraged her to try college again. In 2016, her brother, Charles Wilcox, an English professor at Manchester Community College, took her to Three Rivers. She graduated Saturday with a 3.66 GPA and an associate degree in general studies.

Wilcox thanked several Three Rivers professors for their support, including Phil Mayer, Louise Summa and Edwin Muenzler.

“I was the oldest kid in the class,” Wilcox said. “Most were right out of high school. (Professor Mayer) was very patient with me, genuinely supportive. I said I’d been away from school 35-40 years. We used to take notes, now everyone has tablets, making PowerPoints. It’s a whole new world.”

—By Claire Bessette, The Day staff writer

The original article can be found here: “Online graduation ceremony celebrates ‘the COVID-19 class’ at Three Rivers”

President Jukoski’s Statement on Black Lives Matter

You must be as distressed as I am after this week of chaos, violence and death. My head is spinning as I’ve reflected on how we are confronting two viruses that our impacting our nation today—one is novel and invisible, the other is violent and embedded in the culture and history of our nation. The only way we have been able to fight COVID-19 is to distance ourselves physically from each other. The only way for us to battle the virus of systematic racism is for us to stand together. I’ve become acutely aware of not only how connected we all are with the coronavirus as it affects the entire world, but also how disconnected we all are from one another with the anger and rage we have seen. The layers of pain which have been exposed, the language of “domination,” “thugs,” and “battle space” which we have heard, and the violence which we have witnessed have stunned, enraged and frightened me.

Yet again, we are witnessing this nation’s long legacy of racism that continues to damage and destroy the lives of black people. I cry for the many Black Americans who have died at the hands of injustice. The heartless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis occurred soon after the unjust shootings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and Breonna Taylor in Louisville and so many others. It coincided with the appalling harassment of Christian Cooper in New York’s Central Park, an incident that demonstrates how easily  racist complaints put black lives in danger. The COVID-19 pandemic itself has killed black and brown Americans at higher rates than other groups, magnifying disparities in healthcare and economic well-being. I share the pain of our nation, while acknowledging that I can never fully know the mix of grief, frustration, and anger experienced by our students and employees who know racism in very personal ways.

Cornel West said, “None of us alone can save the nation or the world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so.“

I belong to the Three Rivers community and as your president, I will work with students, faculty, staff and administration to confront and address racism and bias on our campus in all forms. Commitments to diversity, inclusivity, equity and human rights are fundamental to our mission and values at the college. This past year, Three Rivers joined the national Achieve the Dream initiative, which examines how the College promotes equity, inclusivity, and diversity. Faculty, staff and students are working together on committees, including one on race, that examine how we currently work with different groups as well identifying where there are gaps in support. We are committed to providing a safe, equitable environment for our students to learn. We are creating a webpage filled with lists of resources and allies. Please check back as this page is populated with more information.

We all have a responsibility to stand up against racism, wherever and whenever we encounter it. As educators and professionals focused on expanding human potential, we hold a special responsibility to raise our voices to condemn the violence against people of color. We need to say unequivocally, “Black lives matter.”

In the midst of all of this, we know good and have experienced good in one another. Let us be grateful to and for one another. And let us not lose hope or lose heart.

Even though we are physically distant from each other at this time, we belong to each other. As advocates and allies, we can defeat the virus of racism together and end the inequity that has plagued our nation for hundreds of years. Our students deserve a better world than the one they’re witnessing now.

As we move forward, to ensure that Three Rivers continually addresses racism and bias, I urge you to approach me with your thoughts, ideas and concerns. Let’s keep the dialogue open — we want you to be part of this.

Three Rivers Community College to Hold Virtual Commencement on Saturday, June 13

Three Rivers Community College is pleased to announce that its 55^th commencement will be held virtually online on Saturday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m. Commencement is a time when family, friends, faculty, and staff celebrate the graduates of Three Rivers, their dedication, and their successes, but Covid-19 has changed the circumstances this year. So for the Class of 2020, family and friends will celebrate graduate accomplishments together but separately via a virtual commencement with all the “pomp and circumstance” that is deserved. Over 450 students will be awarded degrees and certificates.

Three Rivers Community College will hold its 55th commencement virtually online on Saturday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m.

 The ceremony may be held online but will feature the same integral elements that define a Three Rivers Commencement. Every single graduate’s name will be read and featured on the screen, often with a picture, as they receive their degree. Speakers will include Three Rivers President Mary Ellen Jukoski, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Mark Ojakian, Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services Robert Farinelli, Professor Michael Carta and graduate Sebastian Bartosiak. The Medallions for Academic Excellence will be announced by President Jukoski. The ceremony will include Piper and Professor Will O’Hare leading the processional and recessional as well as Three Rivers student Mya Millbauer singing the National Anthem.

Graduates can celebrate from home in the traditional graduation-day attire of cap, gown and tassel. Those who preregistered will be able to pick these up in a Commencement Package along with a printed Commencement program on June 4 from noon to 6:00 pm. at the College. All others will receive them via mail.  

A new interactive addition to this year’s commencement festivities is the Graduate Student Profiles page. Over 190 students have created their own profile pages including a photo, reflections on college and shout-outs to supporters. Friends and family of graduates are encouraged to leave their own well-wishes in a virtual guest book. To view the profiles, visit the Commencement 2020 page – www.threerivers.edu/commencement – and scroll down to the Graduate Student Profiles section. There are many stories about these wonderful, accomplished graduates.

To watch the commencement ceremony on June 13 at 2:00 p.m. and view the profiles in advance, visit: threerivers.edu/commencement.