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City Tech Grad Joseph Skeete Beats Overwhelming Odds to Earn His Degree
Joseph Skeete is surely one of the most outstanding members of the New York City College of Technology (City Tech) graduating class of 2004. His story is one of exceptional determination and courage, exhibited in the wake of a tragic accident that could have derailed all of his hopes and plans.
Now 61 years old, Skeete remembers when he was serving as a captain in the Guyanese Merchant Navy and subsequently as a lieutenant in the Marine Corp with the Guyana Defense Force (GDF). In 1969, during a joint military exercise between the GDF and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guards, he dove into shallow and muddy waters, hitting his head on a tree stump that was not visible from the surface. Twenty-six-year-old Skeete suffered irreversible damage to his spinal column and from then on has had to adjust to life as a quadriplegic.
"At first, of course, I was very distraught," he admits. "But I found hope and guidance in the words of a doctor, who advised me to concentrate not on what I had lost, but on what I had left. Fortunately, I found the strength to heed his counsel and, in fact, have continued to follow it to this very day.”
After the accident, the Guyanese government kept him on administratively “because I was well-trained and qualified,” he notes. Skeete remained active in the Guyanese military until 1994 when he retired with the rank of major.
At the age of 51, Skeete came to the United States to join his family in Brooklyn and then settled in St. Albans, Queens. Shortly thereafter, he began to prepare himself for a new career -- first, by enrolling in a SUNY college preparation course and then matriculating at New York City College of Technology, where he earned an associate's degree in computer information systems in 2002. On June 3, he will graduate from City Tech with a bachelor of technology degree in computer systems. After graduation, he intends to pursue either a master’s degree in forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice or a master’s of science in infomatics at Downstate University Hospital.
"Infomatics is a relatively new field," Skeete explains. "It combines computer technology with the medical profession. There will always be a need for these services, and I look forward to teaching young people to develop skills in these areas. I especially want to help those who have fallen through the cracks of our society, but are motivated to overcome their problems and are willing to become productive members of their communities."
According to Faith Fogelman, City Tech's director of student support services, "Mr. Skeete achieves an unusual balance between giving and receiving, with the edge toward giving. Not content to be just a recipient of services," she explains, "he has made himself available to other program students and to the College in general for leadership and mentoring. To top it all," she adds, "he is an exceptionally charming, engaging individual."
Among Skeete's achievements at City Tech are: Dean's List 2001-2002 and 2003-2004; recipient of CUNY Leadership Award in 2001; president of the Student Support Services Club; mentor to other students in computer science, math and English. "I had four or five mentees each semester," he says, "and was extremely gratified by their progress and achievements."
Skeete has his own conception of disability. "There are several categories of disability, but only three types of people with disabilities in my estimation," he says. "The first are those who refuse to accept their disability. Such people simply wither away and give up on life. The second accept their disability outwardly, but not inwardly, a state of mind that tears at the root of one's sanity and leads to great mental turmoil.
“The third category describes those who accept their disability both outwardly and inwardly. Those of us who are able to do that are thus empowered to pursue our goals and, eventually, to succeed in life.
"As a matter of fact," he adds, "if you were to name the 10 happiest people in the world, I would definitely be one of them. I take life in its stride, and I am grateful for all of the good things that have come my way."
5/17/04
