Honors Program Profile

Ryan Catala
Honors Program Graduate
Class of 2007 

Every once in a while, Ryan Catala has to stop and think. How could someone like him, who spent brief periods in both foster care and a youth detention center, become a student in an Ivy League University? The answer, he says, is hard work, dedication, organizational skills—and the Westchester Community College Honors Program, which he credits with developing those skills. “Now,” he says with confidence, “I am on my way towards success.”

The Honors Program, according to Ryan, is noteworthy for being both “challenging and nurturing.”  “For me,” he says, “it was the perfect fit. Because of flexible class schedules, as well as online class offerings, I was able to work and study full-time.” Among Ryan’s outstanding accomplishments during his studies here was winning the Outstanding Presenter Award at the 2007 Beacon Conference for Student Scholars at Two-Year Colleges.  But most of all, Ryan says, the Honors Program gave him something even more precious: “a place to redeem myself.”  “I am proud to have accumulated the academic record that I needed in order to further my academic achievements. In May of 2007, I graduated from Westchester Community College with a 3.8 GPA and a degree from the honors program. Now, I am enrolled in Columbia University’s School of General Studies.”

Columbia is not the only top-flight institution to recognize Ryan’s academic record and intellectual talents.  He is also winner of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship. This award will offer up to $30,000 per year during the last 3 years of his undergraduate experience. (Incidentally, this is the fourth time in the last five years that a Westchester Community College Honors Program student has won this coveted national award.)   And while he is at Columbia, he is also performing an internship at the Yonkers City Council President’s Office.  “The truth is,” Ryan acknowledges, “without an honors course load on my transcript, these institutions may have overlooked my application.”

With good reason, Ryan is optimistic about the future—not only for himself, but for all students at the College, and especially in the Honors Program.  “I truly believe that success is possible for all students, especially at Westchester Community College. With a little hard work and dedication, people can make their dreams a reality. Because of the lessons I learned in the Honors Program, my dream of becoming a lawyer is well on its way. From my experience it is clear that students who take on challenges, in life and in the Honors Program, experience success. My hope is to continue seeing this proven true.”

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