A proud community partner, Middlesex Community College collaborates with Lowell High School (LHS) on the Early College Promise program. Open to LHS graduates who took Early College courses during high school, participants attend Middlesex for one year for free, getting tuition, fees, course materials, and a laptop covered.
From Honduras, Luis Raul Raudales was able to be a full-time college student in the U.S. because of Early College Promise. He went on to earn an associate degree from MCC in one year with no debt before transferring to UMass Lowell and reaching his goal of graduating from college.
“I will be forever grateful for such a great advisor who provided great counsel and company during my time in the program,” Raudales said. “I just hope not only that this program continues to exist and help students, but that it is expanded so that more people will be able to benefit.”
One of the biggest benefits of Early College for Nisa Rivera was the number of resources available to her. She continued on at MCC to study Criminal Justice before transferring to Suffolk University and found her entire experience to be “amazing.”
“The program created a safe environment for me to focus and do my best without making the financial portion of higher education the main stressor.” - Luis Raul Raudales, MCC Alum
“The program created a safe environment for me to focus and do my best without making the financial portion of higher education the main stressor,” Rivera said. “I enjoyed my time at Middlesex and I think it was the best choice for me when starting my college career.”
The Early College Promise program allows students to jumpstart their college career in the summer after graduating from high school. They earn college credit that is transferable to four-year institutions and receive advice and mentoring from MCC support professionals who guide them through the entirety of their experience.
“The year they spend with us provides a supported transition into life as a full-time college student that has enormous benefits,” said Brandon Woodcroft, MCC’s Early College Promise Coordinator. “Students access and take advantage of resources and tools available to all students, as well as our program-specific supports to set them up for success at MCC and beyond.”
The program helped push Kiara Ramos past her comfort zone and be more social, leading her to resources that furthered her success. After completing Early College, she continued at MCC to study Psychology and is now a tutor for the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE).
“This program helps individuals take that leap into seeing what is best for them,” Ramos said. “It helped me reach my goals and explore a little more about what I want to do after college. Many doors have been opened for me so that I could work closely with others in my community.”
Rhondyna Reth, from Cambodia, signed up for the program after hearing about all of the benefits. An Art major, staff were able to get her supplies for her classes that were outside of the school store, including a forensics kit for a science class. “The amazing thing about the program is that the staff are wonderful and knowledgeable about what they are doing,” Reth said.