Features

Former student rises above

CMCCC graduate, Jenna Olson, at her internship at the University of Georgia Athens.aption

Monroe County Community College may seem like a small stepping stone to students, but it makes available valuable opportunities for them.

No one knows more about these opportunities than Jenna Olson.
Olson is a 2014 grad of MCCC who recently spent nine weeks at the University of Georgia Athens working as a member of the Research Experience for Undergrads program.

She was one of nine students that were selected nationwide.
While in Georgia, Olson researched, worked in labs, and applied the tools she learned at MCCC to her assigned tasks.
While Olson was a student at MCCC, she was a Supplemental Instruction leader and a biology lab assistant.
She said that the science courses offered here helped her learn what it means, and what it takes to be a scientist.

"Monroe County Community College really helped prepare me for the real world," she said.

Besides the courses offered, Olson gives credit for her successes to her professors and instructors, especially Dr. Maris Fonseca, the associate professor of biology here at MCCC.
She says Dr. Fonseca went above and beyond to lay a solid foundation for her, to help her through the application process, and to help prepare her for her responsibilities at the University of Georgia Athens.

"Dr. Maris Fonseca was definitely my biggest everything," said Olson.
The recent accomplishments of Olson speak volumes about the opportunities MCCC has to offer to all students.
The college gives students the chance to put their knowledge to work in real life situations.

MCCC makes available numerous tutoring positions, chances to lead student study discussions through Supplemental Instruction, openings to assist in science labs, and more.
These chances may seem small to students now, just as they did to Olson while she was a student, however, she now sees these "small jobs" as much more.

"Even though I didn’t think it was, it was all of the little things (like my S.I. job) that were stepping stones that led me to getting accepted to UGA," she said.
Monroe County Community College gives students the chance to network with faculty members and other organizations to help them be successful, which is the biggest piece of advice Olson has to offer other students.

"Talk to people in the field that you want to go. Network. You never know who could help you get your dream job, an internship, or your ticket in," Olson said.