Back in the 1950s, some women didn’t attend college right after high school, and while MxCC alumna Sally Smith liked to learn, she began college much later in life.

Originally from East Hampton, Sally grew up in Meriden and graduated from Meriden High School in 1958. Her father initially discouraged her from going to college or joining the Navy like her brothers. Instead, she started her own family. But years later, Sally was divorced and, because her children were still small, she had to sell her house and go on state aid.

In order to get off Medicaid, Sally became a licensed practical nurse (LPN) through the Vinal Tech program in Middletown in 1973.

While working as an LPN in a nursing home, Sally met a patient in her eighties who was a talented painter and always wanted to exhibit in her own art show. Sally simply went ahead and arranged an art exhibit and reception for her in Cheshire, where the patient even sold two paintings. “She was beside herself with joy!” recalled Sally.

By the 1980s, Sally’s kids were grown and she explored the idea of attending college. She first attended Southern Connecticut State University, but that campus experience was not for her. Instead she decided to audit an algebra class at Middlesex Community College. She then enrolled in more classes and worked with a tutor to improve her grades. For a while, she lived near the former MxCC Meriden Center and also took classes there. She even reconnected with old acquaintance in one of her classes, Betty Berger. They knew each other previously when their kids were in dance class together.

After attending MxCC part-time into the 1990s, Sally earned her associate degree in human services. “I had a very good experience at Middlesex. I enjoyed being there, and the teachers were great,” she reiterated.

While still working as a nurse, Sally met an elderly male patient of Irish descent, who said he never had been to Ireland. She talked with his daughter to see if this was even physically possible for him to travel. She agreed, so Sally again proceeded to see how to arrange this for him. She spoke with other senior wish agencies that told Sally she would have to do all the work. If that was the case, why not start her own foundation with the mission of fulfilling the dreams of senior adults?

In 2007, Sally and her friend Betty launched a nonprofit organization called Seniors Have Dreams, Too. The group’s purpose is “to make a difference in the lives of the elderly and create opportunities for seniors with limited resources to experience a lifelong dream.” The nationwide program is offered to seniors 65 years of age or older, living below the poverty level, and physically and mentally able to experience a wish. Receiving no grant money, the group operates on individual donations and holds an annual arts and crafts fundraiser.

Recently, the organization granted several wishes—a 78-year-old woman with cancer living in Las Vegas went to a concert for the first time; a Connecticut woman’s dream was to visit the casino again with her friends; a woman in her eighties received piano lessons and recorded a CD; a former airline hostess rode in a helicopter—all made possible through the work of Sally’s organization.

“No matter how old you are, you should always have something to look forward to. None of your memories should be old,” she said, who now lives in Wallingford.

Sally still takes her nursing job very seriously. “ I love my job working in nursing homes. This is where I belong. I love working with the elderly and kids with disabilities. I’m getting things for nothing, and so I have to give back,” said Sally emphatically.

What is Sally’s dream? “To complete a bachelor’s degree before turning 90 years old,” she said. “But now my job is to make people smile.”

To donate, sponsor or apply for a dream, or attend the December 1 crafts fair, visit www.seniorshavedreams.org.

October 2018

ALENE HARRISON ’12 FINDS A LEGACY IN HUMAN SERVICES

It’s not unusual for a Middlesex Community College student to be someone who did not enroll in college immediately after high school graduation. This was the case for Carolyn Russell, a native of Middletown, CT. She first managed a local coffee shop for several years before realizing she wanted to pursue a career helping people. Knowing MxCC as a local and affordable school, she registered there to study human services.

During her time at the College, Carolyn greatly valued her internships. This experience gave her excellent exposure in learning what it’s like to work for nonprofit organizations. Her first assignment was at the Stork Club Preschool in Rocky Hill, CT, working with infants and toddlers. Next she worked at an outpatient program for children at Elmcrest Hospital in Portland, CT. She also interned with the Big Brothers Big Sisters youth organization as a case manager.

After graduating from the human services program at MxCC in 1999, she moved to the Seattle area to be near her sister. On a whim, she responded to a newspaper ad for a position at a food bank, not expecting to get the job. But to her surprise, she was hired as the food resources coordinator at Food Lifeline, a Feeding America network member food bank and distribution center, serving more than 300 hunger relief organizations. Her role involved soliciting food donations through government programs, food distribution warehouses, wholesalers, retail stores and farms.

At this point, Carolyn was hooked. She really enjoyed doing good and helpful work as a career.

Being from New England, she decided after seven years in Seattle that she wanted to move back to the East Coast. She first headed to Maryland’s Delmarva Peninsula, where she became the operations and food sourcing manager for the Maryland Food Bank–Eastern Shore Branch, also part of the Feeding America network.

The following year, Carolyn was offered the chance to return to Connecticut to work at the Connecticut Food Bank, now located in Wallingford. Today, she is the procurement director there, responsible for securing more than 23 million pounds of food, which is distributed to nearly 600 hunger relief organizations throughout the state each year.

Her desire to continue her education in a field related to the nonprofit work she has accomplished throughout her career motivated her to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in organizational management from Ashford University, an online college founded in Iowa. She successfully transferred all her MxCC course credits to enroll in the program.

Looking back, Carolyn appreciates the personal attention and motivation professors Judith Felton and Greg Horn gave her while attending MxCC. She loved the smaller class size and how it led to a good and different learning experience for all students.

“The professors knew who you were, and that was a big deal,” she added.

Cait Zinser always knew about Middlesex Community College having grown up in nearby Haddam, Conn. When she was in high school, she admits academics were not a priority. She had a hard time with studying and didn’t really look into pursuing a college education. After high school, while her friends went off to college, Cait realized she needed to think about what she was going to do with her life.

That’s when she turned to MxCC and signed up for some basic classes. This convenience gave her the opportunity to find out more about herself, especially with self-directing her course schedule. And she particularly loved the smaller class sizes. She enrolled in a psychology class early on and discovered that she enjoyed learning about people and their environment. This then led her to focus on human services courses and discover the lasting inspiration of Professor Judith Felton.

Professor Felton assigned the students in her class to videotape themselves practicing active and reflective listening. After viewing Cait’s recording, Professor Felton told her, “You should be a social worker.” Even with this encouragement, Cait was still unsure.

So after graduating from MxCC in 2003, Cait was still searching for her career focus and transferred to the University of Connecticut. She enrolled in the BGS program (bachelor of general studies with a focus in human services) and felt at home commuting to UConn’s West Hartford campus, which is smaller than the Storrs campus and more like the familiar MxCC.

After completing her degree at UConn, she worked for four years at Wesleyan University in the Office of International Studies and in the chemistry department. During this time, she enrolled in STEP classes at UConn, which is a professional development program for social workers. It was then she realized that she really wanted to help people and found her calling to be a social worker after all.

Cait describes social work as a versatile field, with opportunities to work with different environments and diverse populations. Her first internship brought her to a family services agency, working with children and parents. At her next internship with the Connecticut VA hospital in West Haven, she was humbled by working with adult patients suffering from trauma. Learning about the many forms of mental illness and the complex, effective interventions for mental health helped her to focus on providing psychotherapy.

Currently, she is a dialysis social worker at the VA but is trained as a psychotherapist and soon hopes to transition into private practice. Every Friday in Middletown, she is available for consultation, specializing in trauma work, anxiety and depression, as well as ADHD and bipolar conditions. Her approach with clients is from a strengths perspective, as she believes people are inherently resilient and already have a variety of tools in their personal toolbox.

Today, Cait fondly recalls the comfortable setting while studying at MxCC and is grateful to the supportive nature of her MxCC professors. Read more about Cait here.