WCC alumns share transfer success stories

By Matthew Bartow
Contributor

Looking to transfer but unsure of where to start? You’re not alone. WCC has an abundance of resources to assist students with the transfer process.

Students can receive assistance with transferring by speaking with a counselor at WCC’s counseling and career planning department. The department helps students with academic advising, career planning and personal counseling.

Liz Orbits, dean of student support services, said that students should continue to meet with a counselor to ensure they are on the right track.

“Students should meet with a counselor once a semester to make sure they’re on the right path,” Orbits said. “It is important that students are taking courses that match with their program of study, and we will help with this. Problems can arise when students try to self-advise.”

Students wishing to transfer from WCC to a four-year institution in Michigan can take advantage of the Michigan Transfer Agreement. The Michigan Transfer Agreement allows for the transfer of 30 credits of core general education courses from a Michigan community college to a Michigan baccalaureate college or university. More information about specific courses and credit requirements can be found on WCC’s website under “Transfer Information.”

Christina Buzas, a student advisor, said that the Michigan Transfer Agreement allows students to take classes that satisfy both WCC and transfer requirements.

“With the Michigan Transfer agreement, students can complete an Associate’s degree here [at WCC] while fulfilling the requirements for transfer [to a four-year institution],” Buzas said.

Olivia Tomlinson, a former WCC and current EMU student studying aviation, said that studying at WCC for a year was a great decision.

“I had the best time at WCC; it was one of the best decisions I made,” said Tomlinson, who completed an Associate’s degree at WCC before transferring. “I was able to take a year of gen-eds for a substantial cheaper price than at a four-year [institution], allowing me to find my passion and pick a major.”

Tomlinson said that the transfer process was easy and smooth.

“I really didn’t have any difficulties transferring. The process was very smooth,” Tomlinson said. “Just about everything from WCC transferred.”

Perhaps one of the most successful transfer stories is that of Paula Salazar-Valiente. Growing up in Belize in a family that struggled to make ends meet, she was almost unable to attend college at all.

“I remember those were really hard times because my family never had income struggles until that point,” Salazar-Valiente said.

She said she dropped out of high school to take care of her family, while also running her parents’ restaurant business with her brother.

Salazar-Valiente later returned to high school and graduated. After graduating, she took three years off from school to run a nonprofit organization focused on feeding children and teaching adults life skills. A church in Dexter partnered with Salazar-Valiente’s nonprofit in Belize, giving her an opportunity to attend WCC.

Now a student at Michigan State University, Salazar-Valiente recently returned to campus to speak at an informational luncheon hosted by WCC’s Transfer to Success program, where she gave students advice for transferring, including how to write meaningful college applications and scholarship essays.

“Colleges are interested in students that want to challenge the status quo,” Salazar-Valiente said. “You need to share your passion and stand out.”

While at WCC, Salazar-Valiente won the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship, a scholarship designed to encourage and support outstanding students who work hard and have financial need. She was awarded $120,000.

After graduating from WCC in 2018, she transferred to Michigan State’s James Madison College of public affairs, where she is studying international affairs. She hopes to return to Belize and work in government.

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