As a Mitchell College student, Angel Graham ’16 once said, “I want to make a difference and put my footprint on the world.”

Today she is doing just that. She credits Mitchell with preparing her to be a critical thinker and develop ways to give back to her community.

Angel volunteers for three non-profit organizations in the greater Philadelphia area. She is a board member for The Arc of Philadelphia and is a member of the Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, where she serves on the education team.

She also volunteers as a forensic education outreach assistant for the Association of Women in Forensics and recently hosted a webinar on disabilities and forensics as part of Women in Forensics’ “Beyond Autopsies and Crime Scenes” speaker series. Angel, who has cerebral palsy, earned her master’s degree in forensic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia in 2021. She aspires to use her degree to work for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the Innocence Project. 

As an environmental studies major at Mitchell, not only did her coursework prepare her for graduate school, but it also taught her transferrable skills. She uses them daily in her job as a customer service representative in an IT Call Center, helping individuals apply for state benefits.

I knew I wanted to major in a branch of science that was interdisciplinary and would help me to become well-versed in an array of topics. In my current job, I often use tactics from both creative psychology and psychology and abilities like problem solving and communication. Resolving a person’s temperament when they might not get a certain response, reassuring them that they have taken the first step in their process, remaining professional at all times and being clear and direct are things I must do in my work every day.

She says that, when considering colleges, she was drawn to Mitchell for its campus, individualized attention and diverse community. 

The campus was visually stunning with its own beach, but it was also a perfect fit for me because, as someone with cerebral palsy, I was able to maneuver around easily with my crutches. I also succeeded in my classes through the one-on-one attention with professors and small class size. Plus, I had the opportunity to meet so many peers from various backgrounds and cultures.

As director of state and local outreach for the CT Department of Public Health, Dave Reyes, Jr. (Business Administration, ’08) found himself back on campus for a COVID-19 Booster Clinic on Wednesday, March 2, in the Red Barn. The clinic was open to the campus community and the general public.

Reyes said his skills in community outreach, so critical to his current job, were honed as a student at Mitchell and as president of the Student Government Association (SGA).

“Mitchell gave me the opportunity to work with SGA and partner with a local senior housing complex, providing Thanksgiving dinner to the residents and painting their apartments. I also did an internship with the Office of Economic Development for the City of New London and learned about the importance of networking. Networking is so critical to the work that I do today – making connections daily to continue vaccinating Connecticut residents against COVID-19,” he said.

“Knowing that my teachers knew if I was in class or not – and caring – mattered to me.”

Reyes said Mitchell’s small campus, close proximity to home and accessible faculty and staff drew him to apply for admission.

Senior Corrine Wilson has many fond memories of time spent with her grandmother doing things for others.

“When I was younger, I remember watching my grandmother make a wedding cake in her kitchen and helping her with cooking. She also took my sister and me to work with her in a nursing home. All of the residents were so happy to see us, and we had so much fun together. That feeling made me fall in love with helping people and seeing them smile.”

Corrine continues to work in a nursing home today, creating and hosting events for residents, serving meals and snacks, and building friendships with each resident.

She draws on these experiences as she looks to the future and dreams of being an event planner.

“I have always had a creative mind and want to design weddings and parties.”

Corrine chose to come to Mitchell College because of its small size and its hospitality and tourism management program. She studied hospitality at a technical high school and knew she wanted to continue learning about it in college.

Reflecting on what is special about the school, she said, “At Mitchell, you can be you. You aren’t seen as a number but as a person.”

That familiar sense of connection is something that Corrine carries into her internship with A Thyme to Cook, a caterer and event planner in North Stonington, where she is helping with event coordinating.

“During the week, I sit in on a meeting with owner Linda Sample and all of the event coordinators to discuss the weekend weddings. I also help create event binders, organize uniforms and stock, and count alcohol. On the weekends, when working events, I help unload and load trucks and am a food and water runner and a busser.”

Her favorite part of her internship is no surprise.

“Being able to be a part of a special moment of two families becoming one and helping everyone have a special time not worrying about anything is the best part of what I get to do. My internship has made it clear that I am excited about my future in event planning!”

Senior Brian Martin began Mitchell College as a communication major with an interest in radio broadcasting. He had a radio show on Radio Mitchell for a year, but as he researched the industry, he realized radio wasn’t his calling.

Blind since birth, Brian had been taught over the years by a few people who were also blind or visually impaired, and he recognized their positive impact on him.

“That got me thinking that I would love working with and helping others like myself. Halfway through my time at Mitchell, I changed my major to early childhood studies. I discovered that this is my calling.”

Brian plans to continue on to graduate school, pursuing a master’s degree in special education, with the goal of working in a large public school system, perhaps Boston, either in a middle school or high school.  One of the graduate programs he is looking at also offers a dual certification to be an orientation mobility specialist, teaching blind or visually impaired people how to use a cane and travel on buses or trains, allowing him to work in the field as well.

“A dual degree will open up more opportunities and help me get a job faster. Over the years, I have realized that some people are not getting the proper services they need. They are taught by people who are sighted, but a blind person helping another blind person is a big go-to and really helpful for the individual.”

As part of his degree requirement, Brian is doing a practicum at the Children’s Learning Center at Mitchell College (CLC) for the entire academic year. For the fall semester he is working with the youngest preschoolers in the CLC community, and in the spring he will work with older preschoolers and kindergarteners.

“The CLC is my first real experience working in a children’s classroom with all sighted people. Claudia Murphy, the director, asked how to make the classroom more accessible for me, and I said we could learn as we go. We’re all learning things, and it has been an amazing experience so far.”

Brian has planned several lessons for the students focusing on every sense but sight.

“When I do my lessons I show the students how to use their other senses. That’s how they understand that I can’t see. I did one lesson guessing the object with eyes closed and another uses shaving cream to describe texture and smell.”

When Brian is working with the class, he wants to be sure to interact with every child, which, as a blind person, can have some limitations.

“My challenge right now has been how to know that I have played with every kid in the room. I can be in one area, but because of their age, the kids move on quickly to another area. I think this will be easier when I work with the older kids, because they tend to stay and play in one area.”

“The thing for me, though, is I go in motivated to inspire. I’d like to see the kids happy. The inspiration is the kids and the teachers and that puts a smile on my face. People are liking and understanding what I do, and it doesn’t matter how I was born. It shows that anybody can do anything.”

Showing that anybody can do anything is part of the advocacy work that Brian is also involved in as a board member of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut. Through the organization, his work has included travel to Washington, D.C. (or virtually during the pandemic) to talk with members of the Senate and Congress about issues and bills related to blindness. He has also served on the board of the Connecticut Association of Blind Students. “It is amazing to be involved in these organizations and to know there are a lot of people locally who understand what I am going through. I have learned a ton about advocacy and even had the opportunity to present information about the Blindness Accessibility Act during a virtual event. Congressman Joe Courtney was on the call and congratulated me on my presentation and remembered my connection to Mitchell College, which he spoke very highly of.” (Brian had met Courtney at the Red Barn opening a few years ago.)

Brian relishes his advocacy work, but wishes that he had an advocate when he was in high school.

“I have learned so much about advocacy. Now, if I see people struggling, it hits me and I say, ‘What do you need?’ We can do a lot of good for people. In high school I was told that I wasn’t college material. The school just wanted to get me through. When I learned about advocacy, through a post-high school program that I attended to get my life skills on track, I was like ‘Whoa! I wish I knew about this before’ and had the understanding to speak up for proper accommodations and ways to succeed in my life.” 

He researched colleges and landed at Mitchell, which he loves for the academic support and for the inclusiveness of “different people with different disabilities.”

“I’ve visited other schools that are huge. Someone like me or someone with another disability probably won’t get the same support that I get at Mitchell. For instance, I know people who go to bigger schools whose books are not accessible. They are stuck and don’t know what to do. Here, Antaya Lee [accessibility services coordinator] and I work it out right away. My psychology professor also noticed that I do better with verbalization for quizzes. So he offered for me to take my quizzes that way. Not many people can say that. People say to me, ‘I wish I knew about your school.’ It’s amazing to hear that.”

Brian knows that Mitchell has put him on a path to success.

“If I weren’t at Mitchell, I might not have the opportunities I am getting now.”