Student Sees Success By Bridging Digital Divide

As a once-struggling community college student and current Princeton University student, I can proudly say that resources like the Food Pantry and Chromebook Lending program at Middlesex College were invaluable to me in making it to where I am today. Having a reliable device to work on was instrumental in my academic success – I’d even used it for the essays I wrote to apply to Princeton.

Likewise, the food pantry helped me to close the gap in my nutritional needs whenever my household couldn’t afford it. Knowing I had dependable material support in everything from coursework to nourishing myself was a lifeline. I had the security to pursue extracurriculars like psychology research and publishing poetry: activities that would help me win the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, a 55k scholarship awarded to 60 students nationwide. 

In all sincerity, I’m incredibly grateful to the Middlesex College Foundation and the donors for supporting me in these basic but necessary ways.

To current students who might feel hesitant to use these resources, I would say: You are a student, and are in a part of life where you get to grow: where you can expand your sense of self, follow your curiosities, and learn to do work you’re proud of. This growth, though, is challenging work when you are without the basics — but by seeking resources like the Food Pantry, Chromebook lending, and tutoring, you can allow that growth to come more easily. Enough so that you too can even turn around and help others through this same kind of growth.