Kirzy Paredes is quiet and unassuming, the kind of young woman who seems genuinely surprised by any attention. By her own admission she “took a high school approach to college,” and she might have failed quietly were it not for her willingness to work and some help from a program designed to catch students like Paredes. Today, thanks to her active participation in College Discovery, Paredes is quietly succeeding.
Paredes started her academic career at Medgar Evers, and it was there that the SEEK program (College Discovery’s sister in the four-year schools) found her. Medgar Evers didn’t suit her, so she transferred to BMCC and into the College Discovery program here.
As with most students, College Discovery’s initial appeal for Paredes was the money it provided for books. But as she began to take advantage of the tutoring, computer lab, academic counseling and advising, Paredes realized that the program offers so much more than financial aide.
“College Discovery is the best thing,” Paredes says. “It’s personal, a one-on-one relationship. Sometimes it’s a drag [to keep all the appointments] but they really help. I’d be someplace else if it wasn’t for them. It would have delayed the process.”
Paredes especially appreciated the tutoring when she was taking Accounting I. She went for one-on-one assistance every week, which laid a solid foundation for her subsequent accounting courses.
Paredes is in her fourth semester at BMCC, and she expects to graduate in the spring of 2006. She is working on her four-year school applications, Baruch is her first choice, and she plans to pursue a business administration degree and a career in banking.
In spring 2005, Paredes made the Dean’s List for the first time. When asked how she did it, she is typically understated. “When I first started, I would go to class but I wouldn’t read. Frank [Sinigaglia] was like ‘read your books.’ Finally I did, and it helped a lot.”
