Former Students Describe BMCC as a Springboard to Success
Based on research by BMCC student Cristina Lu and Professor Ruth Herz
Cristina Lu was curious: what had become of other BMCC students like herself after they graduated and what impact did BMCC have on their lives? Lu decided to find out, so asked her biology professor, Ruth Herz, if she could do a research project under Herz’s supervision. They contacted some of Herz’s former students. After sending out 13 questionnaires, Lu received seven responses, and spoke with six people at length.
“The people I spoke with credited BMCC with helping them to achieve their career goals, especially in the health care professions,” Christina observed. “They see BMCC as a big stepping-stone toward their academic achievement and self-fulfillment.” All six found their BMCC education on a par with that of many universities. They also stressed that BMCC had given them the solid foundation to succeed in their subsequent health curricula. Each cited specific strengths of BMCC faculty and/or BMCC courses.
For Bella Bimshtein-Heron, a German nurse, who found that she needed to start from scratch again in the United States in order to get her nursing certification, it was the attention professors paid to each individual student. She remembered that BMCC professors noticed the quality of work each student had produced and rewarded it appropriately. Bimstein-Heron graduated with a 3.8 grade point average from BMCC and received a Phi Beta Kappa scholarship. She transferred to New York University, and today, she is a registered nurse, specializing in geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Ijeoma Madu appreciated the one-on-one relationships with her professors at BMCC, and their clear expectations for classroom work, which they delivered the very first day of class. Madu will receive her B.S. in nursing this June from Malloy College. At BMCC, Madu interned as a clinical assistant with New York Hospital in Queens, where she shadowed RNs, and performed routine work such as admitting and discharging patients and monitoring blood sugar. Madu eventually plans to become a nurse practitioner, specializing in either psychiatry or general medicine. Madu
For William Love, a 2001 graduate of City College, the “wonderful and beautiful” professors, “supportive classmates”, and diverse cultures have filled him with gratitude toward BMCC. As a BMCC student, William Love founded the Science of Discovery Club, which sponsored workshops on a variety of topics, including the science behind eastern medicine. He received a Belle Zeller scholarship based on his BMCC academic performance and service to the college. After he transferred to City College, he entered the Physician Assistant Program and started a Physician’s Assistants Club.
Love graduated from there in June 2001 after completing clinical rotations and preceptorships in two New York city hospitals and at a federal prison in Puerto Rico, a position that he arranged for himself. Committed to holistic medicine, Love plans to continue his education in Eastern medicine and therapeutic nutrition. He also plans “to give back to BMCC.”
Ingrid Vasquez, who recently graduated with honors from the New York University, credits BMCC’s English and literature courses with sharpening her writing skills.
She participated in the NYU Community College Transfer Opportunity Program (CCTOP) and received scholarships when she transferred to the B.S. program in nursing at NYU. She subsequently received a university scholarship to continue her studies at NYU.
Purvi Patel credits BMCC with giving her a strong background in human anatomy and physics. Patel was attending Hunter College when she decided to become an occupational therapist. Following a professor’s recommendation, Patel enrolled at BMCC to take anatomy and physiology and physics as pre-requisites for her major. After she graduates from the occupational therapy program at Touro College in September, she plans on specializing in geriatrics, working with stroke and heart failure patients.
Roger de Ruiter says, “BMCC helped me ease back into college life after a 10 year absence from academic schooling. The professors were very helpful in guiding me to accomplish class work and were very encouraging. BMCC’s counselors were very useful and skillful in searching out my interests.” At BMCC, De Ruiter realized that he wanted to become an occupational therapist, so he transferred. In January 2002, he graduated from State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Today, he is working with patients with psychological and substance abuse problems in Memphis.
For Christina Lu, the outcome of her research was clear. “These students have reaped the advantages that BMCC imparts,” she concluded.
