Partnership between Sinclair, Omega CDC empowers Thurgood Marshall graduates
Hope Center classes offer area students pathway to success.
Sinclair Community College added a college math course for a handful of former Dayton Public Schools students at the Omega Community Development Corp.’s Hope Center in West Dayton this past summer.
The course will help those eight recent Thurgood Marshall High School graduates strengthen math skills and pursue their goals after high school.
One of the students, La’Deja Smith, wants to be a pediatric nurse. She credits the Sinclair summer math program with providing the tools she needs to be prepared for college.
“I feel like I am already in college. This program is giving me the tools I need to be prepared,” Smith said. “I feel more confident about starting college and pursuing my dream of working in the medical field.”
Sinclair and Omega CDC have been formally working together since 2017. In 2020, the Sinclair Board of Trustees approved a 10-year lease agreement for classroom, lab, and office space at the Hope Center. Sinclair began offering its first Allied Health class in October 2021.
Having the program at the Hope Center lets students stay in their own neighborhoods and minimizes transportation or other barriers to learning, said Madeline Iseli, senior vice president of advancement and regional strategy at Sinclair.
The Hope Center also offers childcare at the site, which could help parents of young children take classes.
“By ensuring students have services close to home, we remove barriers and create opportunities for success,” said Rachel Ward, vice president of Omega CDC.
Sinclair Community College currently offers a nursing aide (STNA) program at the Hope Center.
In the fall, Sinclair will launch two other certificate programs: chemical dependency counselor assistant and dining assistant dietary aide.
Other Sinclair courses offered at the Hope Center include American Heart Association basic life support for healthcare providers, heartsaver first aid with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated or automatic external defibrillator.
“This program aligns with Sinclair’s mission to find the need and endeavor to meet it by preparing young people for a successful college experience,” Iseli said.