Michelle Gauvin, 2009

Before enrolling at Goodwin College, Michelle never thought of herself as a strong academic performer. “I always struggled to get the grades I got,” she remembers. “It just seemed like my best wasn’t good enough.” 

But with caring motivation from her Respiratory Care program professors at Goodwin—their encouragement and her own hard work—Michelle has proven to herself she can soar. In fact, she recently received a $1,000 scholarship from the Education Committee of the Connecticut Society for Respiratory Care.

Sgt. Elvin Rios, 2008

Elvin Rios is a Sergeant with the Connecticut National Guard and among the first graduates of the Homeland Security program.

Between deployments to places like Bosnia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, Rios, a Bulkeley High School graduate, worked in Hartford as a teacher’s aide for students with special needs. He sees attending Goodwin College as a way to enhance his professional credentials, and hopes to combine his love of teaching with his law enforcement experience. “With my degree,” he says, “I hope to do something for the community—I can help to make Hartford a better place to live.”