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At 55, Patricia Humbert-MCQueen will soon take her GED test for the eighth and - she hopes - final time.

Though she's received disability benefits since 1997, when she injured her back, Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen recently set her mind on earning high school and college degrees so she can counsel low-income children at risk of quitting school.

She has found just the place to help her. St. John's/St. Ann's Outreach Center in Albany operates a college and GED preparation program, which has received one of a dozen $50,000 College Access Challenge Grants from the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.

Workshops will help low-income Capital Region students - including adults and college-bound high school students - with application fees, transcript requests, campus tours, scholarship searches and, in one instance, a desktop computer for online coursework.

Those expenses "can add up," said Sylvia Jimison, coordinator of the program for two years and a grant writer and academic dean at Southern Vermont College.

Ms. Jimison, a Schenectady resident, approached the outreach center about starting a program after she spotted parish life director Sister Natalie Runfola, RSCJ, on the television news talking about disadvantaged residents.

Ms. Jimison hopes to recruit professional teachers and tutors, as well as volunteers, to both mentor the college-bound and tutor those trying to complete high school.

Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen falls into both categories: The program helped her apply to Schenectady County Community College to finish her GED and start a bachelor's degree in human resources. She awaits the status of her financial aid package from the grant program.

"The program has been a blessing for me. Miss Sylvia really reached out to me," said Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who experienced a setback a few years ago when her mother and brother died.

Later, she finished a program at St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center in Albany, became a mentor there, joined an outreach program at her born-again Christian church and started volunteering at an after-school program at the Salvation Army in Albany.

With help from St. John's/St. Ann's bimonthly in-person training, she soared through four grade levels in less than a year.

"They are there to help you," she said, adding that Ms. Jimison gives out her cell phone number to program participants and made an appearance at Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen's birthday party. "She gives of herself. She truly encourages me."

St. John's/St. Ann's also boosted the student's willpower. "It teaches us to be persistent and determined. No door will be closed," Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen said. "You can make a difference in your life. You can turn it around."

Mrs. Humbert-MCQueen has already recruited four students into the program, as well as a mentor.

More than 70 students have connected with the program since its inception two years ago. Of 18 individuals who attended a workshop featuring representatives from Schenectady County Community College and BOCES last month, five completed an application to become part of the program.

"I think the community is excited," said Ms. Jimison, who also grew up in low-income housing. "For me, it's a real passion. It's really incredible for this community to get a project like this."

The grant will enable her to counsel more high school students, as well as parents of elementary school students, on the value of education.

(To apply to become a student, mentor or tutor, call St. John's/St. Ann's Center at 472-9091 or email [email protected].)

(10/14/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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