Gateway Graduates 809

Many of the 809 members of Gateway Community College’s (GCC) Class of 2019 crossed the stage to pick up their diplomas Thursday after overcoming challenges ranging from raising young children to having to learn the English language in two weeks.

The graduation took place at Webster Bank Arena, where students of all ages and identities came together with their families to commemorate the completion of the first steps of their higher education. Gateway also handed out honorary degrees to Community Foundation for Greater New Haven CEO, Will Ginsberg, and recently retired Connecticut Public Broadcasting chief, Jerry Franklin.

The commencement speaker was Gateway alum Maria Praeli, currently the government relations manager of the criminal justice and immigration reform group FWD.us. During her speech, Praeli talked about her experience coming to America at 5 years old from Peru and the effect it had on her growing up and deciding on a career path. Praeli has now been in America for 20 years; she was a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, or ​“dreamer.” Praeli’s work often consists of reaching out to elected officials to provide resources and education on immigrant narratives and she works on projects that focus on Dreamers and temporary protected status (TPS) holders. 

Praeli said she has a great love for America because she was raised to value its many opportunities.

“I was American in all forms but paper,” said Praeli. Now she’s fighting against a tightening of immigration rules that close opportunities for young people in her shoes.

Many of the grads saw themselves in Praeli’s story, such as Rhoda Osei, 22, who is from Ghana. Osei graduated Thursday with a liberal arts and sciences associates degree. Rhodes came to America in 2016 when she was 18 years old. Learning the American dialects of English was the biggest challenge for Osei upon her arrival and start at Gateway.

“I had a small book where I wrote little notes about the American language that I used as a guide,” said Osei.

Many students described the moment of walking across the stage as a mix of both excitement and sadness. Sekonda Johnson, 26, has been in New Haven for the past five years and was a full-time student while being pregnant twice in the span of just about three years.

“There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into my work,” said Johnson.

For grads like Flaminia Aceranti, 24, community college was the step that made the most sense for her financially and academically. In 2016 Aceranti moved from Italy to Connecticut through the program AupairWorld. With a passion for nutrition, she is currently on a student visa to complete her higher education.

English became Aceranti’s second language, which she had to quickly learn as she started school. While in Italy, Aceranti said, she did not have much interest in pursuing higher education and instead was focused on being a waitress and a part-time babysitter.

Aceranti was matched with a family as part of the program based in Westport. She began taking classes at Norwalk Community College. She developed an interest in food and later learned about Gateway’s associate’s program in nutrition and dietetics, which she completed Thursday.

Many said that Gateway not only motivated them to continue their higher education but also to value the flexibility possible at a community college and affordability.

“I could see myself in so many people at Gateway,” said Aceranti. ​“It put me at ease to see that everyone there were at different points in their life.”

While students, many were faced with challenges they had never imagined; Tina Morrison, who received an associate’s for entrepreneurship, said it took her nearly 20 years to complete her degree and two certificates from Gateway and Housatonic Community College. Earlier in May, Morrison spent five days in the hospital for a serious health issue that caused her to have to relearn to walk and talk. Morrison relearned the two in less than two weeks so she could walk across both graduation stages.

“I felt like the world was on my shoulders for 20 years but that weight has finally been lifted,” said Morrison.

Osei said she dreams of becoming a lawyer and will attend Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) for criminal justice. Morrison hopes to own her own restaurant someday soon. Johnson will be attending SCSU for her bachelors in accounting. Aceranti plans to take the national exam for her dietary certificate and then become a registered dietitian.

“Continue to pave a trail for others to follow,” Gateway President Paul Brodie II told the Class of 2019.