Friends Magazine Spring 2022 Spring 2022 | Page 15

From incarceration to multiple degrees
RISE Student Leadership Certificate gives students tools to succeed in a global world

From incarceration to multiple degrees

Michael Sykes started his NWTC journey while serving a 14-year prison sentence . While incarcerated , Sykes was encouraged by a friend working in horticulture to pursue his education and learn more about the opportunities that waited for him once he was released . He started to investigate his options and came across NWTC ’ s offerings .
“ At that time Facebook was just starting to get popular and the internet was taking off ,” recalled Sykes . “ I had to take print-based classes , and NWTC offered something called ‘ college through the air ,’ which was one of the only options . My goal was just to get my general studies knocked out .”
After his release , Sykes graduated from NWTC ’ s horticulture program and started working toward his associate degree in architectural technology . Now , he ’ s nearing graduation and eagerly looking forward to finding a fulfilling career path .
“ I want to give myself as many options as possible and keep moving forward ,” said Sykes . “ I ’ m grateful to NWTC and my amazing instructors who believed in me and helped me reach these goals .”

RISE Student Leadership Certificate gives students tools to succeed in a global world

The RISE Leadership program allows students to earn a non-credited certificate that demonstrates their commitment to engaging and leading diverse teams . Participants get to engage in positive change on the NWTC campus and develop leadership and multicultural skills . To earn the certificate , students must attend a minimum of three curriculumbased RISE sessions and three or more NWTC cultural programs .
Fatma Letifi , a Tunisian exchange student in NWTC ’ s Digital Marketing program , credits the RISE sessions with giving her the confidence she needed to speak openly about her experiences and grow as a person . “ RISE Leadership program gave me the confidence I needed to speak out ,” said Letifi . “ Not only do I learn something new every time , but I have fun too .”
HEAR MORE ABOUT LETIFI ’ S EXPERIENCE IN RISE
RACIAL INCLUSION FOR STUDENT EQUITY
Your opportunity to BE THE CHANGE .
nwtc . edu / RISE
SUMMER 2022 NWTC . EDU 15