Language Barrier No Obstacle to A College Degree for Tiziana Monteiro ‘SCE20
The Cape Verdean native and CCRI transfer earns her bachelor’s with a 33% tuition discount and the right academic support
Tiziana Monteiro ‘20SCE was born in Italy and moved to Cape Verde at the age of 10 before her family settled in Rhode Island when she was 12. Along the way, she learned to speak Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and English in addition to her native Italian. As impressive as that is, Monteiro never considered herself a model student growing up and didn’t think it likely she’d ever be a college graduate. With persistence, however,, she received a bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies from Providence College through the School of Continuing Education (PCSCE) in December 2019.
“School has always been a little bit harder for me than other students because English is not my first language,” Monteiro said. “I didn’t think I’d even be able to get my associate’s, but I started to just take one class at a time at CCRI [Community College of Rhode Island]. As I got closer to graduation I thought, ‘Well, if I can get my associate’s degree, I can get my bachelor’s.’”
As CCRI graduation approached, she received a letter from PCSCE about its Guaranteed Admission and Tuition Assistance Program (GATA). The GATA program offers qualifying students at CCRI (as well as Bristol Community College) guaranteed admission to PCSCE to pursue a bachelor’s degree as well as a one-third discount off tuition – making for an incredibly affordable path to a bachelor’s degree, considering that SCE’s costs are already less than many four-year state schools.
“When I got that letter is when I began to think maybe it would be possible to get my bachelor’s. I had always heard about what a great education and community there was at PC and I wanted to be part of that, but I didn’t ever think it was possible,” Monteiro said.
“So when I looked into the GATA program and found out about the guaranteed admission and the tuition discount it seemed like such a great opportunity, I thought there must be a catch. But there wasn’t, and the advisers at PCSCE were so helpful in getting me started.”
Monteiro worked two jobs while attending classes at PCSCE in the evenings and online.
“The professors at PCSCE were so helpful and flexible for students working full time; they were always willing to go the extra mile,” she said. “I used the tutoring and writing center through the Office of Academic Services as well, and they set me up with an ESL [English as a Second Language] specialist, which was very helpful. I also found that students were helpful to each other and that was great as well.”
“At first, I was hesitant to take the help in fear of not fitting with the ‘norms.’ From my past experience, having any part of an ESL program comes with a stigma. However, Manuela Barcelos (ESL specialist) guided me based on my needs and helped me distinguish the core differences between English and the rest of the languages I know. The results were that my writing improved and from there I was able to express my thoughts better. I wanted to share this truth in hopes of encouraging others to take this opportunity and embrace who they are.”
After two and a half years, Monteiro graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies.
“I chose the Professional Studies program because it’s so versatile in terms of what you can do with it, but at the same time it allows you a lot of flexibility in where you want to concentrate your study,” Monteiro said.
With her bachelor’s degree now in hand, Monteiro is looking forward to getting started in her career and is searching for the right job opportunity; perhaps one where she can put her unique multilingual abilities to use.
“I know that I have more options now than I did before, so I’m excited to see what’s out there,” she said.
Related Resources:
PC SCE Guaranteed Admission and Tuition Agreement (GATA) Program
PC SCE Degree Programs
PC SCE Degree Programs: B.A. in Professional Studies
How PC Makes it Possible to Go Back to School
