Family responsibilities, work responsibilities and class responsibilities. DC37 employees have a lot on their plates and are up to the task.
On Monday at the DC37 campus of the College of New Rochelle, located at DC37’s lower Manhattan headquarters, graduates from the school were part of a “hooding” ceremony honoring their academic achievements. With families, children and other relatives looking on, these union workers were honored as the culmination of a program that has spanned several decades.
Since 1972, DC37 has joined with schools to provide classes and possible college degrees for its constituents. According to DC37, 3,500 members have earned degrees through their program, which is near and dear to the heart of DC37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who helped established its existence due to an experience of her own–one she’d rather not relive.
Roberts dropped out of college while on scholarship from the University of Illinois because she couldn’t afford it. “I was a welfare recipient,” she said.
Roberts adds it was hard to “have a desire to move forward and not have the ability to do it. I didn’t want the people I was working with to suffer the same humiliation I had because I was poor. I always thought that the union had the greatest opportunities to make a person whole. Each time they graduate, I feel that I fulfill the things I was put here to do.”
Dr. Barbara Kairson, administrator of the DC37 Education Fund, spoke to the AmNews about seeing this celebration of academic achievement every year. Does it get old?
“Never,” said Kairson. “It’s always very inspiring to see a member come with their families and children and, in some cases, their grandchildren. They all feel the pride. I never tire of going to it.”
Zenobia Pointer, 43, was one of the many graduates who participated in Monday’s ceremony. She spoke with the AmNews about her situation and her uphill climb to receive her degree.
“It means a whole lot because I’ve been supporting my family for the past 20 years, and now it is my time to do what I want to do,” said Pointer to the AmNews. “I wanted to graduate from college and make my mother proud of me.”
Pointer, a mother of two who works at the Brooklyn Public Library, graduated with honors with a bachelor of arts in communications. She’s also the first person in her family to graduate from college.
Does she think she’s a role model for her children? Definitely.
“I’m definitely inspiring them,” Pointer said. “I’m a role model. I’m a mom and I’m a wife, and I’m inspiring my daughters to continue their education. Even though it took me some time, it’s never too late to get your education.”