Student Success: Dylan Waddington Finds Direction and Inspiration at MCC
Manchester, Conn. (May 19, 2016) – Dylan Waddington, of Andover, considers her associate degree from Manchester Community College not just an achievement, but an honor, as she looks forward to the 52nd Commencement Exercises May 26 at the campus Bicentennial Band Shell.
This is not just because she’ll be a graduate of the Honors College at MCC. But also because she believes that the support she received in the form of academic encouragement and scholarships helped her find direction.
“When I graduated from RHAM High School, I was an uninspired student without a strong sense of where I wanted to go next in life,” Waddington said. “It is thanks to my experience here that I gained the confidence to take my education to the next level,” she said.
By her own account, she did not have a strong first term at MCC. “Then I heard about the Honors College,” she said. “My history professor, Sarah Cieglo, announced that by doing an extra project in her class, I would qualify for an honors credit.”
In 2014, MCC enhanced its honors program with the creation of the Honors College, enabling students to graduate “with Honors” and have the accomplishment noted on their diploma and transcripts.
These students have an opportunity to investigate topics of interest, conduct research, work on special projects, and actively share this learning process with other classmates and their professors, according to Professor Patrick Sullivan, Honors College coordinator.
“Students in the Honors College are assigned a faculty mentor in their academic area of concentration – so they get excellent, individualized hands-on advising throughout their tenure in the program.”
Waddington learned that if she took a total of four classes at honors level, and if she did 20 hours of volunteer work in the community, she would qualify.
She found many opportunities to volunteer at MCC and, in addition, she found a work-study job in the college’s Continuing Education division, where she was employed part-time. “She is a bright and personable self-starter, who has contributed greatly to the smooth running of the office for more than two years,” said Stephen Campiglio, personal and professional development coordinator for Credit-Free programs, who served as her supervisor for six semesters, plus summers.
Cieglo, who became her faculty mentor, added, “As she worked on her history honors project, it was wonderful to watch Dylan discover her passion and talent for independent research. As her Honors College advisor, it has been a privilege to see her take strong ownership of her educational goals.”
Waddington said her academic career took off from there. “I made President’s List and Dean’s List every semester since, and I joined Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Mu Gamma,” she said. “I will graduate with an associate degree in general studies with the special notation on my diploma – this is a distinction I am very proud of.”
But there is something else of which she is even more proud.
“Not only did I learn about rising to meet new academic challenges,” she said, “but I also learned the importance of giving back. MCC makes this easy to do because of the numerous opportunities for volunteer work. I’m very fortunate to have had the chance to go to MCC and to give back to a school that changed my life in so many ways.”
Olivia Chiang, assistant professor and co-chair of the visual fine arts department, served as Waddington’s capstone project advisor. A major research paper is required as a capstone to Honors College work. Waddington’s project focused on three female artists working between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the ways in which they defined their own identities as visual artists in the face of various forms of discrimination.
“Dylan is going above and beyond what would typically be required of a second-year student at a baccalaureate institution,” Chiang said.
In the fall, Waddington expects to transfer to the University of Alabama.
