NBCCOC News

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 25 Years of Service

Founded in 1997, North Bronx CCOC has dedicated its resources supporting the North Bronx for 25 years. We have been making connections – serving hundreds of community residents by working to improve lives. Providing educational and vocational programs necessary to access academic and employment opportunities.

As one of two Career Counseling and Outreach Centers funded by the State university of New York (SUNY) University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (UCAWD) system. We support the mission of UCAWD to eliminate the barriers to education and provide skills that lead to better jobs – all tuition- and debt-free.

This is just a start. We want to do more. We want to thank our partners and Alumni – we wouldn’t have accomplished all we have without you. We invite you to join us as we celebrate serving the North Bronx, and a future of endless possibilities. Thank you.

25th Anniversary News Release

News Release: SUNY Celebrates 25 Years of Service at the North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center
SUNY Communications 
Thu 11/2/2023 4:48 PM​

SUNY Celebrates 25 Years of Service at the North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center

Leaders Across SUNY and Elected Officials Join to Recognize Center’s Impact on the Bronx Community

For Immediate Release: Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

Bronx, NY – Leaders across the State University of New York joined state and local officials at the North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center (NBCCOC) to celebrate 25 years of providing educational, workforce development and assistive services to residents of the Bronx. The event recognized the center’s tuition-free programs and support to socioeconomically-disadvantaged New Yorkers who need education and training to secure sustainable employment and achieve their goals.

 

“The North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center is a critical resource for the community giving young adults a path toward further education and careers, and SUNY is proud to celebrate 25 years of service and the tens of thousands of young adults who have found upward mobility through the center’s services and support,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. “My thanks and congratulations to NBCCOC Executive Director Mitch Duren and his team.”

 

SUNY Board Trustee Marcos Crespo said, “I am proud of the work and service the North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center provides the young people of this community. Mitch Duren and his team are visible, reaching out to high schools and building awareness of the programs the center has in place. It is a welcoming environment to help learners succeed and I congratulate them and the community on their 25th anniversary.”

 

NBCCOC currently offers programs in high school equivalency, college preparation, and Google IT certification, and will soon add English for Speakers of Other Languages. The center hosts a SUNY Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) lab, which imparts digital literacy skills, academic development, and career training in computer-based applications. NBCCOC also partners with numerous community-based organizations to reach people in need of their services, as well as address barriers to education like food insecurity, housing challenges, lack of transportation, and other challenges.

 

NBCCOC Executive Director T. Mitch Duren said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. NBCCOC is proud to play a major role in that preparation for the people of the Bronx, and grateful for the support of SUNY and our elected officials that enables us to continue this work for another 25 years and beyond.”

 

The offices of New York State Senators Jamaal Bailey and Nathalia Fernandez were recognized with Community Champion awards from SUNY and NBCCOC at the event, honoring their outstanding and unwavering advocacy and support for NBCOCC, its students and participants.

 

Senator Bailey said, “Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive. As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling Outreach Center, I am grateful for the unwavering commitment of Executive Director Mitch Duren and the entire NBCCOC team working to provide pathways to success through education, skills training, and job placement. The North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center continues to bridge critical gaps in our society, ensuring that opportunities for success are open to all. Their relentless dedication to advancing education, career development, and opportunity in the Northeast Bronx and beyond has laid the foundation upon which individuals can build their dreams. Congratulations to NBCCOC on 25 years of success and many more to come!”

 

Former NBCCOC ATTAIN lab participant Marybell Martinez was honored with the Outstanding Alumni award, which recognizes persistence, academic excellence and achievement by NBCCOC students and participants. Ms. Martinez earned Microsoft certifications in Word, Excel and PowerPoint at the center’s ATTAIN lab, using those credentials to work for years in a New York City councilmember’s office. They now work at Montefiore Hospital, where they train fellow employees in Excel.

 

Martinez said, “I am truly blessed to have crossed paths with The North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center! NBCCOC is an amazing community-based teaching center, which prepares you for today’s world of technology. The skills and training I acquired are endlessly useful every day in the career I chose. NBCCOC lifts your heart and soul! NBCCOC lets you know that you matter! NBCCOC lets you know that you count! I am forever grateful for Mr. Mitch Duren and the entire NBCCOC team for the skills, training, and support. Congratulations to The North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center on 25 years of success and so many more to come!”

 

About the North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center

The State University of New York’s North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center (NBCCOC) opened in 1997 in response to the severe scarcity of adult education and job training programs in the surrounding area. The center expanded SUNY UCAWD’s footprint in the Bronx, where an educational opportunity center provides a robust suite of programs and services to residents in the northeast end of the borough. The center came together through the vision and leadership of SUNY Associate Vice Chancellor Robert James and Senator Larry Seabrook, who saw high school equivalency preparation, skills training and job placement as gaps in service to the north Bronx community.

 

The NBCCOC began by offering programs, courses and services pertaining to General Education Diploma and college preparation, digital literacy and career readiness, quickly expanding its offerings to include certified nursing assistant, home health aide, medical billing & coding, and security guard training programs. In 2000, UCAWD opened an Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) lab within the center, adding Microsoft and other industry-recognized certifications, language learning software and other computer-based services to the center’s efforts. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie secured $400,000 to complete the center’s most significant technological expansion and enhancement in 2021.

 

The NBCCOC has positively changed the livelihood of over 20,000 young adults since 1997 by offering a variety of academic and vocational technology-based programs to the community at large, assisting students in achieving over 1,000 Microsoft certifications, leading to a variety of careers with the ultimate goal of students establishing self-sufficiency.

 

Today, the NBCCOC continues to refine and innovate its programming while serving as a referral source to other New York City-area educational opportunity centers.

 

About The State University of New York

The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

 

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An excerpt from Senator Jamaal Bailey’s congratulatory speech at our 25th Annual recognition ceremony. June 24, 2022

Senator Jamaal Bailey Congratulates Honorees

Senator Jamaal Bailey a member of the New York Senate representing the 36th district.  A long time supporter of the North Bronx CCOC the Senator made his first address to our graduating class in 2017, he was honored when asked to celebrate with us again, and join in personally congratulating and recognizing the achievements of the 2022 honorees on our 25th Anniversary.

The Senator’s office has been a valuable partner in helping to bring awareness to the programs and services that are available for the Northeast Bronx communities. He encouraged honorees to keep striving and congratulated them on their perseverance in achieving their goals.

Senator Elect Nathalia Hernandez’s address at our annual recognition ceremony. June 24, 2022

 Senator Nathalia Hernandez Addresses Honorees

 

Former Assemblywoman and new Senator Nathalia Fernandez, who has served the New York State Assembly District 80 since 2018 and will now serve the 34th Senate District in the Northeastern Bronx in the U.S. Senate, delivered a congratulatory message for the North Bronx CCOC recognition ceremony of 2022 on Friday, June 24. Honorees, graduates, family members, friends and faculty, gathered for the virtual event for the 25th annual ceremony.

In her address, the Senator Elect recognized the hard work of the honorees as well as the commitment and sacrifice of family members and supporters. She reminded them of the value of their accomplishment and the possibilities that await them. The Senator Fernandez has been a great supporter of the North Bronx CCOC and its mission.

 Jessica Cordero, High School of Computers and Technology

 

Our goal to provide all students with the support and tools they need for a strong plan for their path after high school is strengthened tenfold due to our relationship with SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling and Outreach Center.

Julissa Figueroa, Children’s Arts and Science Workshops, Inc.

 

On behalf of Children’s Arts & Science Workshop Inc., we would like to congratulate SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling on their 25th anniversary celebration in serving the community at large. We are grateful for the continuous support and dedication to our youth participants.

This organization has provided a safe work, learning environment and an extensive array of skills to our participants over the years. These skills would have not been acquired without this consistent partnership.

Chevagne McAlmont-Winston, SUNY Buffalo State

 

I want to say congratulations on celebrating your 25th anniversary and thank the SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling and Outreach Center for our continued partnership. I look
forward to working with you in the years ahead as we continue our commitment to ensure that all students go to and through college and career. Cheers to an additional 25 years of serving the community.

Ikim Shamar Powell, exalt

 

SUNY North Bronx EOC Program and exalt Youth have been community partners since 2019. Bobby, the SUNY (NBCCOC) College Advisor entailed to our alumni on how to apply for financial aid, finding academic programs, difference between community and senior college, optimizing one’s approach towards submitting a college essay, the correlation between one’s earning power and higher education. Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary Celebration in serving the community at large.

Westchester Square Academy

 

Westchester Square Academy would like to congratulate the SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling & Outreach Center on their 25th Anniversary serving our community! We value our partnership and the important life skills that our students learn through our association. We look forward to many more years of collaboration with your wonderful staff!

Natalie Villanueva, YM&YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

 

As an organization, our youth’s safety was very important to us and ensuring a positive experience. I would like to thank your center for providing remote opportunities for our youth during times of uncertainty. A heartfelt gratitude to the contribution of SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling and Outreach Center and its staff. I look forward to our continued partnership and congratulations to many more!

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