Sharing Advice with Refugees and Immigrants

When Maurice "Mo" Brown entered college 11 years ago, he was sure he had everything figured out. He was going to excel at football and play professionally one day. In his first game at SUNY Brockport he intercepted a pass, returned it for a touchdown, and was named Player of the Week. But by the end of his first semester his college career was over. "I didn't go to class. I lost my financial aid and I was finished."

Brown shared his story with students in the Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE) Summer Education Program during a recent meeting on Syracuse's North Side. He was one of a series of speakers with Onondaga Community College connections who stressed to high school-aged students the importance of thinking about their future, exploring career options, and preparing for college. "Don't do what I did," Brown told them. "This is the perfect time to think about what you want to do next."

The RISE Summer Education program includes approximately 60 ESL (English as Second Language) students from the Syracuse City School District. "Our goal is to educate and empower youth from the refugee and immigrant communities, with the ultimate goal of encouraging youth to pursue career paths and education opportunities which will help them overcome cyclical poverty. OCC being part of this summer program helped move the idea of attending college from an ill-defined notion to a real possibility," said Richard Whitson, RISE Director of Education.

One of the program participants considering attending OCC was Dadiri Abdi who is entering his senior year at Corcoran High School. "I already know a lot of people who go to OCC. I think it would be a great experience to go to college with people I already know."

One of the people Abdi may encounter on the OCC campus is Brown who works with students as a Success Coach in the School of Liberal Arts. After leaving Brockport, the Brooklyn native came to OCC and earned a degree in Communication Studies in 2017. He would transfer to Syracuse University and complete his bachelor's degree, spend a couple of years working in politics, then find a professional home where he began to experience academic success. "I loved OCC enough that I came back after I graduated," he told Abdi and other students in the RISE Summer Education program. "We incorporate the community into our mission here. We want to help better people and help make great people."

Brown was one of several speakers with OCC connections who spent time with students, shared their personal stories, and offered life and career advice. Other speakers included distinguished alumni Dr. Emad Rahim and Hassina Adams '17, Professor Patrick Kenny, Tim Saka and Deb Ryan of Career Services, Kim Fuqua and Matt Massenzio from Student Recruitment, and Marianna-Hope Maliani of K-12 Partnerships and P-TECH. Their appearances were coordinated by Russ Corbin, Director of OCC's Business & Community Education.