Bridgeport, CT - Nick Jeffrey will be among those recognized during Housatonic Community College's (HCC) virtual graduation ceremony. He entered the engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as a first semester Junior in January 2020; his prior experience at HCC prepared him well for the transition.
Jeff finished his degree from HCC in December 2019, and will receive both the Paul Doane Memorial Award for continuing his education in engineering, and the Betty Mackey Mentorship Award for displaying the qualities of a good mentor.
Jeff also had a stint at UConn.
"I was more comfortable at HCC. Classes were smaller and there was a real sense of community,” said Jeffrey. “When it came time to transfer to a four-year school, I looked for smaller schools so I could still have that feeling."
While at HCC, Jeffrey impressed his professors and was asked to become a Supplemental Instruction Leader. To prepare, he took it upon himself to take a public speaking course.
Additionally, Jeffrey tutored visiting high school students in HCC's Manufacturing College Connections program. The students were struggling with Manufacturing Math over January break right up until the day he left for RPI to begin Spring 2020 as a full-time Engineering student.
“Community colleges offer smaller class sizes than larger schools, allowing students to typically receive more personal attention from their professors, and the opportunity to build a solid foundation before transferring to a four-year college,” said Dr. Thomas G. Coley, Acting President of Housatonic Community College and Regional President, CSCU Shoreline-West. “Nick’s hard work and commitment to learning at HCC prepared him well for the next step in his academic journey, and we are proud to call him an HCC graduate.”