Utica, NY– The 11th Annual CollegeWorks graduation ceremony for the Class of 2017 will be held at 6 pm on Thursday, May 25 in the IT Building Theater on MVCC’s Utica Campus, with a reception to follow. Five students will graduate from this Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter program, and 15 will receive “moving up” certificates. Lynda Ford Memorial Scholarships will be awarded to high school students entering CollegeWorks in the fall who have demonstrated strong work ethic and motivation to find competitive employment.
Carrie Bergeron, a motivational speaker and advocate for people with disabilities, will serve as the guest speaker at this year’s ceremonies. Bergeron is a 40 year old woman with Down syndrome, who has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and 20/20 television programs, promoting her book “The Special Tomato Story,” and performing interpretive dance with sign language.
CollegeWorks is a two-year certificate program of The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter in collaboration with Mohawk Valley Community College, and is offered on the Utica and Rome campuses. The program was developed to improve post high school employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities, while providing a full college experience. Students explore all career options in year one, but focus on one career path in their second year. Residential homes operated by The Arc in Utica serve as dormitories for some of the men and women enrolled in CollegeWorks. The dorms are located in close proximity to MVCC, which allows for more time on campus for studying and recreation, and enhances the experience of college life.
The CollegeWorks program is currently accepting applications for the start of the upcoming semester in the fall. Interested applicants are asked to contact Deb Evans, Program Manager, by calling 315-792-5465. More information is available at The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter website, www.thearcolc.org.
ATTACHED PHOTO: The 2017 CollegeWorks graduating class. Front row, from left to right: Lindsey Figueroa; Danielle DiRoberto; Robert Hirt. Back row, from left to right: Joshua Nadeau; and Andrew Riopel.
