“Monroe is the biggest factor in getting me where I am today. I am grateful for their support and commitment.”
Katherine Vasquez is a peer specialist at the Bronx Peer Advocacy Center. She received her associate degree from Monroe in 2015 and her bachelor’s degree three years later, both in human services ... and both summa cum laude. Katherine works primarily with homeless people, helping them with housing and mental health issues.
Prior to coming to Monroe, Katherine failed at other schools. "But Monroe changed my life by giving me a second chance to become the successful student that they knew I could be. Because they believed in me, I learned to believe in myself and move forward in life.”
Katherine is in a wheelchair, and noted that someone at the school always checked to make sure she could access the buildings and her classes. She said if an elevator was out of order, classes were moved to a new building so she could attend. Monroe even installed automatic doors to give her easier access to the classrooms.
“The fact that they were so willing to help me actually motivated me to do more,” she says.
Katherine said she will always be grateful to the staff and educators as well as the students at Monroe. “From President Jerome to all my professors, everyone gave me so much support and helped me build up the confidence I needed to achieve my goals in life,” Katherine said. “From the support I received when talking to someone about my fears, to helping me with financial issues, someone at the University always picked me back up.”
Ever since Katherine was a little girl, she wanted to help people but just didn't know how. At Monroe, her professors and advisors helped her find her way to a degree in human services and to an internship at Compassionate Care Hospice in the Bronx.
“Monroe is the biggest factor in getting me where I am today. I am grateful for their support and commitment.”
