The Student Mentee Holiday Party hosted by the Black American Council returns after a three year absence due to Covid
The Black American Council celebrated the return of its student mentee holiday party on December 8, 2022 in the student lounge of the new Alex B. Johnson Campus Center located on Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) Metro Campus. The party was from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm and included a smorgasbord of delectable holiday treats, beverages, and ugly sweater contest. Games such as guess that tune, giant jenga, uno, and cornhole filled the halls as graduation stoles were given out and prizes were awarded to those lucky enough to win raffles, rounds of guess the tune, and the ugly sweater.
The Black American Council (BAC) was founded in 1969 by a group of concerned Black American faculty members and originally named the Cuyahoga Community College Black Causcus. The BAC’s mission is to provide support to students, particularly Black American students, that will help them stay in school and achieve academic success. BAC’s mentoring program links students with faculty and staff members to help achieve this goal.
Jeanette Bell, manager of counseling at the Metro campus remembers mentee holiday parties of the past. “This floor wasn’t here then and this event took place on the ground level,” Bell said. “But God is good and it’s great to see mentees from different campuses because the BAC provides a family environment for a lot of students.”
Although mentors are encouraged to attend, the focus is on the mentees who come together to mingle and bond while enjoying food, fun and fellowship. Marcia Leftridge, a Midas Touch Award winning mentor and unit operations specialist at the Metro and Easterns Campuses emphasized this sentiment. “We as mentors are here to facilitate the continued academic success of our mentees,” Leftridge said. “We’re all about our students and anything we can provide to help them on their academic journey is our duty, responsibility, and privilege. After all, it takes a village and this is our village.”
Angelac Miller credits her mentor, Sharyse Jones, program manager for human services at Tri-C with guiding her through her educational journey after graduating last December with an Associates of Arts and Chemical Dependency Counselor Certificate. “Having a mentor provided me with a counselor who was always there, if for nothing else but to talk to, which was huge for me,” Miller said.
Miller participated in the ugly sweater contest alongside fellow student and BAC mentee Terri Elliott who both share a keen fashion sense for ugly sweaters and academic excellence.
Jacques Smith, program manager for BAC continues to work hard towards the return of full enrollment at Tri-C as well as student retention and engagement in this new post covid world. “This event is student motivated and faculty led,” Smith said. “Many of our students consider the BAC to be part of their extended family, so when they asked for this party we were more than willing to comply with their request. We look forward to what the future holds for Tri-C, the Black American Council, and our students as we all strive for excellence together.”
To learn more about the BAC and how to participate as a mentee or mentor, call (216) 987-4527 or visit www.blackamericancouncil@tri-c.edu. Stay involved with BAC by joining Black American Council @Tri-C group on Facebook.
