Newswise — September 11, 2001, brought Sherina Ali and her daughter, Jolina Rodriguez, together in more ways than one. Not only were both women deeply affected by the events of that day, the disaster led to both attending New York City College of Technology (City Tech), where they are studying for bachelor's degrees in human services after recently earning their associate degrees.
The day the towers fell found Ali late for work at her job as an administrative assistant at Citibank in lower Manhattan. As she approached her workplace, sickening ash from the burning towers was beginning to fill the streets. Later that day, she and other terrified co-workers were evacuated by ferry to New Jersey.
Ali found working at Ground Zero too stressful in the aftermath of 9/11, so Rodriguez -- then a high school senior and strong believer in higher education as the key to success -- began encouraging her mother to go back to college and change careers. Ali, who previously earned an associate degree in occupational studies, with a focus on business administration and word processing, took her daughter's advice and followed her to City Tech. She has never regretted it.
"City Tech has provided me so many opportunities that wouldn't have come my way by just getting another job," says Ali. She is about to start a full-time job on the staff of City Tech's Student Health Center, and is also employed part-time on the weekends and evenings in a home for developmentally disabled older adults run by Catholic Charities.
In addition, she is beginning her second year as president of the College's Human Services Club, which provides opportunities for students to give back to the community in many ways, such as collecting clothing for the homeless. In this capacity, she worked closely in the past year with her daughter, who was president of City Tech's Student Support Club, which assists students with disabilities.
The leadership Ali brought to the club earned her a prestigious 2006 CUNY Leadership Award, the same award her daughter had earned for her leadership abilities the year before. In addition, both are Benjamin Namm Scholarship recipients.
"Being students together brought us very close," says Ali. "As with every mother-daughter relationship, you have your ups and downs, but we have a very close relationship."
Rodriguez adds, "City Tech has a real family-like feeling, one that helped bring our family closer together at a difficult time."
Being in the same major, they save money by sharing textbooks, but, as Ali put it, "we don't bump heads" because they are in different concentrations, she in gerontology and Rodriguez in disabilities. Recently, Rodriguez completed an internship at Young Adults Institute, which serves people with retardation, autism and similar conditions.
Rodriguez, who at 21 is half the age of Ali, said she took a math class with her mom because she knew that she would be able to help her with the more difficult concepts. "I chose to go into that class with her since I was fresh out of high school and had a better grasp of the subject matter."
Mother and daughter share an apartment in Richmond Hill, Queens, with their cat, Oliver, and eagerly await the birth of Rodriguez's first baby, due in September. They have figured out how both can attend City Tech in the fall -- they will have different class schedules so that they can share childcare responsibilities.
Ali, who came to the U.S. when she was 14 years old from her native Trinidad, points out that the diversity in her family mirrors the diversity of the student population she has found at City Tech. "I'm West Indian and my daughter's father is Puerto Rican. In addition to Puerto Rican and Trinidadian roots, my grandchild will be part Jamaican and Chinese. A truly multi-cultural baby!"
Both Ali and Rodriguez are interested in careers in counseling. "Being in human services doesn't pay much, but the rewards are so great," says Rodriguez.
"It's funny," says Ali. "Children often follow in their parents' footsteps, but I'm one parent who is following in my child's. I've learned so much from her."
New York City College of Technology (City Tech) of The City University of New York is a recognized national model for urban technological education and a pioneer in integrating technology into the teaching/learning experience. The largest public college of technology in New York State, City Tech enrolls more than 12,000 students in 57 baccalaureate, associate and specialized certificate programs and is conveniently located in Downtown Brooklyn.
RSS