News & Events
City Tech's Glenn and Jones Give Back to Their Communities as Members of New Chapter of National Honor Society
Glenn and Jones are flanked by Gall (left) and Liou-Mark.
New York City College of Technology (City Tech) student William Glenn's path to college was far rockier than that of most of his peers. But despite hitting some lows, he has managed to turn his life around and was recently inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) chapter established on campus.
With chapters in 170 universities across the nation, NSCS was founded in 1994 on the principles of scholarship, leadership and service. Not only is Glenn an NSCS member, he is an officer of the new City Tech chapter, taking on the position of vice president for community service. His role is to organize a variety of service projects that will enable other NSCS members to help meet the needs of their respective communities.
Giving back is very important to Glenn, a Coney Island resident who almost derailed his future with years of substance abuse and time behind bars. "While in prison, I finally realized that I had to do something with my life and began entertaining thoughts of going to college," the City Tech sophomore says. "I found that I was able to help other inmates deal with substance abuse and related problems and found my calling." Now 40 years old and a father of three, Glenn is pursuing a bachelor's degree in human services.
"When I received the letter inviting me into the NSCS chapter, it reinforced my conviction that I'd chosen the right path," he added.
In addition to pursuing his studies, Glenn is employed at the College as a machine room assistant, helping to ensure the production of printed materials necessary to the flow of academic work.
Glenn was one of more than 100 City Tech students who met the criteria for NSCS membership, which includes being on the Dean's List and maintaining a high grade point average, according to Mathematics Professor Janet Liou-Mark, the chapter's faculty adviser. "The petition for a university's inclusion in the program must come from the students and we had tremendous student interest from the outset," she says.
Another NSCS inductee at City Tech, Imogen Jones, is quite enthusiastic about having an NSCS chapter on campus. Originally from Nevis, in the Caribbean, Jones came to the United States at age 23 and now, at 26, is engaged to be married. The Bedford Stuyvesant resident is working on a bachelor's degree in computer information systems, in preparation for a career as a network administrator or web designer. She, too, is a chapter officer, serving as vice president of Planning for College Success, a mentoring program partnering NSCS members with middle-school students.
Jones looks forward to mentoring students at George Westinghouse High School, adjacent to the City Tech campus, and to serving as a role model for them. "These kinds of activities will help me to get involved in the community," she says, "which is especially important since I am a recent immigrant."
Jones has previously been recognized for academic excellence. She is a Pfizer Scholar, a scholarship program sponsored by the Pfizer Company and one of the highest academic honors the College can bestow on a student.
According to Lenore Gall, City Tech dean of students and academic services, NSCS offers members a wide variety of national service opportunities. "Students will have available to them such disparate experiences as leadership conferences, trips with the American Hiking Society and work with Habitat for Humanity," she says. "For the motivated student, NSCS truly opens up a world of opportunity."
As part of the new City Tech chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Glenn, Jones and the other founding members are about to experience, in the words of the society's handbook, "a valuable forum for learning, unparalleled networking, opportunities for community involvement and the personal satisfaction one gets from serving others."
Photo by Michele Forsten
