No way through it but to do it.

Who does one give credit to for their success?

This blog is for the Success Center. . .  but since this is the last week of summer term and there is nothing of note going on, I’m going to hijack it for a bit and give credit where credit is due.

Without UCC, I may have very well been one of the guys in this song:

But I’m not. No installing appliances for me. UCC has been my home for the past three years, and this week I’ll be leaving. My success came from the help of many; however there are a few that deserve special recognition.

Amy Fair: our distinguished English instructor, who . . . uh . . . encouraged (yes, that'll do) me to become a tutor two years ago. Without her rather forceful insistence I wouldn’t be where I am today. I owe a very large part of my success to her.

Charles Young: taught me the importance of believing in something with true passion. In his classes I discovered just how much of an influence a good instructor can be to overall success of students. His energy and enthusiasm in class is unmatched by anyone else I’ve met on this campus, and that exuberance influenced more than a few of his students.    

Daniel Bates: well, duh. I mean, here is a guy who was but a humble student, and with the arrival of Terrance was elevated to the position of… well, still a humble student. But a student who, in his new position, managed to bring together a fairly diverse and uncoordinated group of tutors and shape them into the shining example of perfection we are today.

Terrance Bradford: brought to the tutoring center new energy, new light, new ideas, new life. Without his guidance we would not be where we are today. Where we are today is a very good thing for so many of us. We have all benefited from our time in the tutoring center and many, if not most of these benefits would not have been realized had Terrance not been at the helm.

All of you reading this: Sounds corny, but I truly have learned a great deal from my fellow tutors in the Success Center. Some people have caused me great pain and anger, some have allowed me to see things in a new, more positive light. In both instances and in innumerable ones in between I have learned so much. This team has shown me just how much good a dedicated group of people can do.

And finally…

Ali Mageehon: our one-of-a-kind dean. I can’t imagine having that kind of responsibility, and am so thankful the one that has taken the role is such a wonderful person. Students come into our center needing guidance and assistance, and receive the help that they need. Ali is responsible for providing the pathway for so much of that success, and does it all with immense compassion and unrelenting heart. Ali’s efforts hit close to home for me: a ninth-grade dropout, I returned to UCC with few skills needed to help me succeed. I utilized the Success Center long before I became a tutor, and without it I surely would have failed and become another dropout statistic. Instead, I graduated UCC with an admirable GPA and I’m off to the big city to study for a STEM degree. Thank you, Ali, so very much for helping make that possible.

So my fellow tutors, with tears in my eyes I bid you all farewell. Whatever you do in life, make sure your reach exceeds your grasp.

And Ali, this is why I’m so glad you’re here. I used to be could have been this guy.

 Nathan Anderson