This past month was amazing at Quinsigamond Community College and across the commonwealth as record numbers of students enrolled in college, thanks to the state’s free community college initiatives MassEducate and MassReconnect.
At QCC, we welcomed around 8,000 students to our campus this fall, students who came from all levels of society with one goal in common — to better their lives through higher education.
As I walk the halls of QCC and talk to students, I hear their stories. Stories like the single mom now able to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse, or the young man who thought college was beyond his reach because he could not afford it, or those who came to this country with no more than their hopes now able to see a brighter future through higher education.
Like me, more students are now the first in their families to attend college, making this a historic moment not just for them but for their entire families. Attending community college is life-changing for students who can use their education as a steppingstone to a four-year degree, or to enter or reenter the workforce at a higher wage.