Amber GlombStaff Writer

Stanley Williams said he never thought school was for him.

Now at age 44, Williams has earned his general as-sociate’s degree, is a mem-ber of Phi Theta Kappa, and is graduating magna cum laude all while earning the Outstanding Adult Learning Award (OALA).

According to Cassie Little, the Capital Area Higher Ed-ucation Network (CAHEN) representative for LCC,

OALA awards are a part of the organization.

“OALA is a chance to rec-ognize adult learners who are pursuing education at one of CAHEN’s partner institu-tions and have made contri-butions as leaders in the Lan-sing community,” Little said.

Williams was nominated for OALA by faculty mem-ber Megan Lin. According to Williams, Lin made learning fun and interesting, and she helped make him comfort-able in the classroom.

“He really had a lot of per-severance,” Lin said. “He

was grateful for and enthu-siastic about his education

… What he calls himself is a guy straight out of the hood.

“He said this quote ‘guys like me don’t get educated.’ I thought (nominating him) would be an inspiration to other guys like him.”

Williams said he never ex-pected to win the award.

“When I found out I won, I was like, ‘Man, for real?’” Williams said. “I never win anything. I was shocked … but I was honored to get it.”

Williams said when he was younger, he never thought that furthering his education was for him and that college

was for the smart students and privileged people. He graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA.

“I was the type of student that when you took atten-dance, you hoped I wasn’t there,” Williams said. “I was horrible.”

After graduating, he be-came a medical specialist in the United States Army in 1987. According to Williams, this is where he found his calling.

“Even though I was a

train forStars

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drawscrowd

Concert LCC

Honoring

students nationals

thelookoutLansing Community College’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1959

Volume 54, Issue 15www.lcc.edu/lookout

April 29 - May 31, 2013

Nathan WilsonAssociate Editor

STARFest, a week-long LCC celebration of culture, included “Welcoming; Your LCC” in the second floor Gannon Building lobby April 17.

Sharon Letson from LCC Stu-dent Support Services said the event was designed to educate the college community about America’s immigrant and refugee population.

“We have a lot of immigrant and refugee students on campus and a lot of different languages spoken,” Letson said. “We just want people to be aware of the difference between a refugee, an immigrant, a migrant and an un-documented national.

“We’re trying to educate people what those different terms mean … because a lot of people lump

everyone into the same category.”According to Letson, one of the

ways the college can create a wel-coming environment for immigrant and refugee students is through the Welcoming LCC Initiative.

Letson said the initiative is modeled after the organization Welcoming Michigan, which works toward building immi-grant-friendly communities.

Interested students were able sign up for information about Welcoming Michigan and Wel-coming LCC.

Representatives from the fol-lowing organizations were stand-ing by to provide information about immigration: St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Lutheran So-cial Services and the Refugee De-velopment Center.

Locally-owned bookstore

LCC welcomes diversity on campus

LCC alumnus Leslie Aaron (left) speaks with a St. Vincent Catholic Charities repre-sentative about volunteer opportunities offered in the Lansing area April 17.

Stanley Williams holds his award.

Photo by Suzanna Powers

Photo by Nikki Nicolaou

Student veteran excels despite past barriers See Welcoming, page 2

See Award, page 2