GtC Graduates Pursue Careers in Education
Since 2004, Gateway to College (GtC) has served thousands of students across the country. It's always inspiring to hear how the program is helping young people transform their lives and build brighter futures. We at the National Network find it especially gratifying when Gateway graduates update us about their education and career pursuits. Recently, we discovered that many Gateway grads (and near grads) are focusing on careers in education. Following are portraits of some of these amazing young people who are on a path toward educating and empowering tomorrow's youth.
 Leah Rapoza never attended high school. In fact, she never really experienced formal K-12 schooling at all. Her mother pulled her out of public school halfway through kindergarten and Leah, along with her older sister, began homeschooling. Since their mother worked full-time, they were expected to teach themselves. By age 10, Leah stopped her lessons and began working full-time as a babysitter to help support her family. She officially dropped out of school when she was 16 years old.
A year later, she enrolled in GtC at Portland Community College and began a transformation that would change everything. She discovered she had a deep love of learning and took as many classes as she could, graduating from Gateway with her high school diploma and an associate's degree. She then enrolled at Portland State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in social sciences with a minor in elementary education. Leah's passion for learning and experience in Gateway led her to focus her efforts on becoming a teacher. She is currently enrolled in the elementary education master's program at Portland State's Graduate School of Education and expects to earn her teaching credentials by June of 2011. In addition to her studies, Leah is a student teacher at an elementary school in a low income area of Portland.
"Having instructors tell me that I was smart and worth something and that I could do something with my life completely changed everything. For the first time ever, people were proud of me. It was a huge deal to me. I want to be that person in a child's life who tells them that they are wonderful and that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to, even if it isn't what they hear at home."
Claire Satter started experiencing problems in middle school and ran away from home. Infrequent attendance led to a drop in her academic performance and eventually she was placed in special education. Instead of catching up, she fell even further behind, yet she was permitted to pass through to high school without actually finishing middle school. Reflecting on that time in her life, Claire says, "I learned that school was optional. I learned that I could use home life problems as an excuse to get out of class work." Fortunately, that was not Claire's last experience with school. She enrolled in GtC at Montgomery College at the age of 17, and graduated with her diploma and significant college credit in August 2006. From there she enrolled at the University of Maryland where she earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice in May 2010.
Claire is currently enrolled in the master's of education program at Lesley University, with a dual concentration in education and special education. The program will also provide her with a three year teaching position after she completes her first year of coursework and student teaching. She is currently employed by the Urban Teacher Center in Washington D.C. as a student teacher at a local charter school where she helps teach fifth grade English and Social Studies.
Katie C. never quite fit in during high school. She remembers high school as a place where she felt confined and lonely, and a time in her life when she made many bad decisions. She had a small support group but it wasn't enough to keep her motivated to succeed. She enrolled in GtC at Mount Wachusett Community College at the age of 17 with less than a 1.5 GPA. In Gateway, Katie found the support she needed and role models to motivate her toward success and teach her the life lessons she felt she had been missing. Her experience in Gateway helped her discover a passion for teaching, and an opportunity to shadow an instructor solidified her decision to become a teacher.
Katie expects to graduate from Gateway this month, and then plans to finish college and become a high school English teacher. Katie reflects on her experiences in Gateway with pride for her accomplishments and hope for the future. "Gateway has really given me another shot at success. When I was in high school, I thought I was destined for a life of flipping burgers for a living, and seriously considered just dropping out. Now, even though I've had a few bumps along the way, I know I'm going to be able to live out my potential and do what I love to do."
 When Travis Bunn entered Gateway at the age of 17 he had only two high school credits. He had fallen so far behind in high school that he was placed in classes with much younger students and he felt increasingly unable to catch up. So, eventually, he dropped out. After a series of minimum wage jobs and the birth of his son, he felt a mounting pressure to do something with his life. When a friend told him about GtC at College of The Albemarle (COA), he decided to turn his life around.
While in Gateway, Travis not only earned his diploma and significant college credit, he also discovered he was capable of achieving even greater things. When he began in Gateway, he was severely behind in reading and writing proficiency. His developmental English instructor worked with him to help him catch up. What had originally been the most discouraging problem in his life turned into a love of books, inspiring him to "pay it forward" by pursuing a career in education.
Travis is now enrolled at North Carolina State University working toward a bachelor's degree in literature. Afterward, he plans to pursue a master's degree in literature and hopes to return to COA to teach English.
High school wasn't challenging enough for Mackenzie Ellis so he dropped out at the age of 17. After two years he came to realize that, without a high school diploma, it was nearly impossible to find a job and survive. So he enrolled in GtC at Mount Wachusett Community College. Mackenzie graduated in May 2010 with his high school diploma and 46 college credits. He plans to continue college courses at Mount Wachusett and eventually become a teacher. He currently works at an elementary school in Turner Falls as a Behavior Support Assistant where he mainly works with children with behavioral issues. He credits Gateway for changing his perspective on education: "The fact that I was finally able to graduate with my high school diploma really helped me realize that I am capable of so much more. It also made me realize I want to help young people who struggle with the belief that 'I'm not capable of graduating.'" | 
