| Graduation
is Sweeter the Second time Around: NYIT
It’s
never too late in life to go back to school or to begin a new
career track. Proof of that are two recent New York Institute
of Technology (NYIT) graduates—both African-American women of
a certain age—who received advance degrees this spring. One is
Michelle Martin, a business professional and mother of two who
felt that she could give back even more by entering the classroom
as an instructor. The other, Gertrude Evans, is a grandmother
who retired after more than three decades of teaching; in turning
to NYIT’s School of Culinary Arts, she has found a niche helping
diabetics improve their diets.
Gertrude Evans, who was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, taught
in the Amityville, LI public schools for 32 years. She considered
retiring but realized at age 59 she was not ready to sit home
and do nothing. At a successful restaurant where she and her family
dined frequently, she got to know the owner-chef, a graduate of
NYIT’s Culinary Arts program.
She was overjoyed when accepted but was sobered by the realization
of the hard work and challenges that were ahead of her. “I wasn’t
sure I was going to get in. Then when I was accepted I was elated
at first but then questioned ‘what have I gotten myself into?’”
Michelle Martin, a Long Island native who had over 10 years of
a successful business career, returned to NYIT at age 35 because
she decided it was time for a new and more challenging career
track. A 1986 graduate of NYIT with a Bachelors of Fine Art, Martin
for several years worked for top corporations as a trainer and
administrator.
Though she was doing well in the corporate world with positions
at such companies as Itochu International and Reuters America,
Inc., “There was a void in my life,” Martin says. “I wanted a
formal education in what I was doing so that is why I decided
to pursue a masters in instructional technology in a trainer track
program.” The Masters of Science in Instructional Technology and
Certification in Business Distributive Education that she receives
from NYIT this spring equips her to be a teacher of business/technology
in both a middle and high school capacity.
“I
had a very good experience at NYIT,” she says. I really developed
a sense of direction in terms of where I was going, what I wanted
to do with my life and what purpose my education would serve.”
Gertrude Evans concurs. “I thought I had confidence, was self-assured
when I left teaching,” Evans says, “but NYIT moved me to another
level. I now feel so much better about myself.” Evans admits that
at times she felt a bit overwhelmed by some of the technology
in the course requirements. “The computer programs—that was the
real challenge for me. I didn’t have many computer skills but
the programs we used like menu analysis and power point, it was
great to learn how to use them.”
It was during the program and a project she had to do for menu
class that Evans discovered her niche. “I started collecting recipes
for diabetics. I thought this would be a good thing to do because
I know some diabetics but it was like I was just pulled in that
direction.” Now she plans to provide services to this health-challenged
community.
“I
would be providing them with information, doing cooking demonstrations
and showing them how easy it is to shop and prepare healthy meals.”
With encouragement from her Culinary Arts School instructors Evans
is currently writing grant applications, seeking funding for a
mobile unit with a kitchen that she can bring to such sites as
senior citizen centers and churches to provide people with hands-on
demonstrations.
“I
was going to work out of my car but after conferencing with one
of my professors, she pointed out that there is a need for this
and that I could write a grant application. I became very excited
and knew that was what I wanted to do. I would like a mobile unit
that would keep the food safe. I’m really concerned about food-borne
illness so if I had a mobile unit with a kitchen in it, no food
would have to go in and out of my home.”
Michelle Martin is also excited about her prospects in instructional
technology and how she can apply real world business experience
in the classroom. As she said in her commencement address: “Genuine
education begins and ends with a pursuit to find truth. Making
teaching your profession means finding out what your values are
and what motivates you to be a true educator.”
Both women are currently filled with excitement and promise for
the future now that they have met the challenge of embarking on
new career paths. And though they also have busy domestic lives—Ms.
Martin has two young daughters she is raising with her husband
Hans, a stockbroker; Ms. Evans helps her daughter with her teenage
grandson—they are ready for the rigors and excitement of new careers.
“Nearly
3,000 students will be receiving degrees from NYIT this spring,”
notes Dr. Edward Guiliano, NYIT President and CEO. “I am extremely
proud of the accomplishments of all our graduates.”#
Education
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