After four years, SCTCC’s Rising Stars program is becoming too big for its final graduation ceremony.
At the early May event, family and friends of about 50 students from Sauk Rapids Middle School and the St. Cloud School District gathered to celebrate the completion of this year’s participants.
Held at Krewe in St. Joseph, everyone packed into the space for short speeches, presentation of certificates, and food provided by Chefs Mateo and Erin, who have been involved from the start.
“We had our own program, Model Citizen, so it was an easy yes to take part in Rising Stars. We didn’t have the structural capacity to continue the program, but SCTCC does,” explained Chef Mateo. “It was very easy to get it going.”
Rising Stars originated after SCTCC’s Multicultural Center collaborated with various community members from Higher Works Collaborative, Sauk Rapids Middle School, and St. Cloud Schools. The group’s initiative was to provide middle- and high-school students with engagement opportunities at SCTCC to explore post-secondary learning opportunities. Krewe provides food for every session of Rising Stars, and during one of the sessions, students have a culinary focus.
This culminating event included remarks from Lori Kloos, President; Alberto Ramos, Vice President of Community, Culture, and Institutional Climate; Tiffany Daniels, ISD 742; James Turner, ISD 47; Chef Mateo; and several students. In turn students received a certificate and gift for completing the program.
Chef Mateo added: “Any opportunity we have to expose ourselves to young people, especially young kids of color or girls, so they can have a reflection of somebody who’s reached a certain space and been successful in their community, it adds to the veracity for them to be able to pursue or create something of their own.”
Now that Rising Stars has wrapped up its fourth year, Ramos is looking forward to next year’s cohort. He expects the number of students attending to grow over the next few years, now that it’s established and parents are hearing about results. There is also potential for expansion, which will allow for more kids to see the opportunities in their future.