WCC graduates Heba Kedir (left) and Umang Bhojani (right) in front of the student center. Shelby Beaty | The Washtenaw Voice
WCC alums talk about how TTS helped shape their future
by JAMES CASON
Deputy Editor
WCC graduates Heba Kedir and Umang Bhojani successfully transferred to The University of Michigan with the support of the Transfer to Success club. The TTS club continues to open its doors to any WCC student interested in transferring to a four-year institution who desires to connect with other students on similar paths.
Meet Heba
Heba Kedir graduated from WCC in 2020 with her associate degree in pre-engineering. She transferred to The University of Michigan last year as a mechanical engineering major with a minor in electrical engineering.
While attending WCC, Kedir found out about TTS and joined the club.
“One of the presidents and co-founders at the time was in one of my Physics classes,” said Kedir. “She knew I was interested in going to the University of Michigan, and she told me her club was hosting an info talk with one of the transfer coordinators for the university. I had a good time in the first meeting and found out a lot of valuable information.”
Kedir highly recommends that students join TTS club for an opportunity to meet other students who are interested in transferring, possibly to the same school of interest. Building relationships with people who attend or work at the school of your choice is another benefit.
“For those who are truly passionate, it’s your chance to take on a leadership role at a college and have a head start and build professional relationships,” said Kedir.
If Kedir could do her transfer process again, she would start looking for opportunities offered for incoming transfer students earlier.
“I regret not fully looking into a research program offered to new transfer students, which I feel would have given me a small leg up throughout university. There are usually more opportunities than we think; you just have to look a little harder,” said Kedir.
After being a part of TTS club at WCC and transferring to U of M, Kedir feels confident about her leadership skills and participating in university clubs.
“Joining clubs has also been made a little easier since I had already known what kind of club culture I am interested in as well as having some leadership experience at WCC.
Meet Umang
Umang Bhojani graduated from WCC in 2020 with his associate degree in general studies. He transferred to The University of Michigan last year and is now studying information science with a minor in anthropology.
WCC served as a restart point for Bhojani; he attended WCC because he was unsure of his life plan after graduating high school.
“I had OK grades, but I didn’t really apply myself in high school. I didn’t live up to what I thought I could have achieved,” said Bhojani.
With an interest in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics], Bhojani decided to attend WCC and transfer to the University of Michigan. Bhojani describes WCC as a place with very few distractions but lots of support in academics and tutoring.
“I came to WCC with the thought process of getting my degree, studying, and getting out. I wasn’t looking at any extracurricular activities to join,” said Bhojani.
After speaking with the TTS club president during a summer session of the STEM scholar program, Bhojani realized that TTS could be a supportive way to ease the transfer journey. Not only did Bhojani join the group, but he also later became the group’s president upon his predecessor’s graduation and transferring success.
“For some students, it was a little daunting to go into the offices and talk to advisors to get those resources. We wanted to provide a space where it was peer-to-peer and a lot more comfortable – not as formal,” said Bhojani.
As a member of TTS, Bhojani received valuable advice from his conversations with former WCC students who had transferred to various universities. As TTS club president, Bhojani forged connections with college transfer advisors from multiple universities who imparted knowledge of the application processes tailored to specific schools.
“I was able to apply to several schools with the advice that was given to me, tailored to specific universities. So, I knew I was on the right path and wasn’t going to run into any hiccups in the application process.”
If Bhojani could do his transfer process again, he would be more open-minded to meeting people on campus right out the gate.
“I could have gotten knowledge of other resources sooner if I had been open to meeting new people,” said Bhojani. “Try to be connective as possible. I started too late.”
