Rockland Opens Floodgates of Possibility
When senior Micaela Sotomayor first stepped on Rockland’s grounds three years ago, she carried more than the overstuffed suitcase trailing behind her timid stride. She shouldered sky-high aspirations far exceeding the proscribed futures her working-class immigrant parents cautioned would sustain them. Though she secured her own scholarships enabling Rockland enrollment, her family still doubted career ambitions attainable.
Today with two Silicon Valley internship offers in hand and a summer accelerator slot developing her machine learning startup concept, Micaela leads workshop series for first-gens navigating opportunities unimaginable back home. “That scared, doubtful girl I was would scarcely recognize everything I’ve built here. Rockland didn’t just unlock once-improbable paths – it asked me to illuminate that roadmap clearly to uplift others behind me.”
Stories like Micaela’s inspire Dr. Reggie Morgan daily. As Director of Rockland’s Center for Transformative Learning since 2018, Morgan built signature conferences and mentor initiatives ensuring disadvantaged scholars access support systems enabling dreams. Recalling chance airport encounters with Rockland alumni instrumental in steering disenfranchised students like himself through doubt towards commencement years back, Morgan remains focused on fostering what’s possible.
“There are floodgates ready to unleash inside every mind that feels Rockland’s embrace. We simply provide the keys.”
Among those feeling Morgan’s mentorship firsthand is junior Tiana Coles, who juggles two part-time jobs while excelling through nightschool mechanical engineering courses. Though she conquered homelessness 3 separate times since having her daughter at age 17, Tiana finds community in campus resources like the Student Parent Alliance, where she leads a clothing donations initiative providing professional interview attire access. “I want my daughter seeing me thrive against the current, not simply treading water. The opportunities I’m creating will lift both our lives beyond survival.”
