Higher Education as a Pathway Out

Our staff attended the graduation of some of our clients from the College Initiative Upstate (CIU) this May, and our Executive Director Dave Sanders stood to speak. The audience was moved -- as he was -- when he shared the profound impact of celebrating these wins with our clients.

"After attending (14) CIU graduation, I must admit that I have been brought to tears, at least 10 out of the 14 times. Question is: WHY?

Hearing stories from people who have risen from homelessness, addiction, violence, and incarceration provides prospective of what humans can endure and overcome.

Young children stand and recognize their parents’ achievements, 60-year-old students announce that they are the first person in their family to attend college, young women who lost everything during addiction, begin to believe that they can be more leading to a new pathway and a new life. Personal stories written with support and love of caring professors provide a glimpse into a world we only see from the outside. Each story pulls us into that world, for just a moment, before we get into our nice cars and relax in our clean homes.

For a moment we can almost feel what it must be like…and it must be overwhelming. I attend to find hope amid so much suffering, I attend to see progress when too many barriers exist, I attend to be part of a community that works to do more. To all the graduates, what you achieved is not the finish line—but the beginning. And we admire and congratulate you on their amazing accomplishments."

~ Dave Sanders, Executive Director of OAR