Marcus Griffith: Leader and Mentor
By: Tommy Reynolds
Marcus Griffith, a former New York City public school teacher and 7-Eleven franchiser, became the Disability Accommodation Specialist at CUNY Guttman in 2018. From his experience working with special needs kids for the last five years of his teaching career, Marcus saw opportunities for improving how kids with special needs are aided.
At CUNY Guttman, which partners with Image Impact International on the Mentoring 4 Impact program, Marcus hosts weekly sessions to take students with disabilities to the next level.
“Our goal is to take the student from where they are when they come to us,” Marcus explained, “to where they want to be. And beyond that. To where the potential we see in them can take them.”
There is ample opportunity at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, CUNY, to achieve these goals, more than Marcus had anticipated before accepting this opportunity. He optimistically welcomes the challenge and strives to provide student success within the AccessABILITY Services.
“Twenty-five percent of our students have some disability,” Marcus notes. “The key is to get them to comfortably acknowledge their disability, to not think of it as a stigma. I encourage them to focus on academics and how I can help them move forward. Once that happens, the students begin to see how they can accomplish their goals, and a level of trust ensues.”
The Mentoring 4 Impact sessions began at Guttman College in Fall 2020. The program started slowly as it was geared to the first-year student, but steadily attracted interest. The most significant increase in attendance came via word of mouth. One of their enthusiastic students, who attended the initial sessions, passed along meeting information and brought at least one new student with him regularly. Advertisements within the Guttman Gazette, social media, and internal communication also helped spread the word on how significant Mentoring 4 Impact is for our students. During the pandemic, virtual sessions have consistently brought in nine to ten students per week.
“Image Impact sessions have been particularly interactive,” Marcus said. “They have greatly increased participation by breaking out a group of ten to twelve students into groups of two to three. This has led to students feeling more comfortable opening up about their challenges and how they are overcoming obstacles.”
The sessions focus on advising on applying for jobs, preparing the thirty-second pitch, and dress for success for an interview. One-on-one mentoring has also been extremely helpful.
In the future, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College are looking for the expansion and success of the Mentoring 4 Impact program. They plan to bring in guest speakers regularly, as they have found their scholars are more comfortable and quite active in the Q&A sessions that have followed event discussions. In addition, an increased social media presence and the excitement from the graduation and scholarships of the program are expected to bring more students into the program next year.
Marcus Griffith, a former New York City public school teacher and 7-Eleven franchiser, became the Disability Accommodation Specialist at CUNY Guttman in 2018. From his experience working with special needs kids for the last five years of his teaching career, Marcus saw opportunities for improving how kids with special needs are aided.
At CUNY Guttman, which partners with Image Impact International on the Mentoring 4 Impact program, Marcus hosts weekly sessions to take students with disabilities to the next level.
“Our goal is to take the student from where they are when they come to us,” Marcus explained, “to where they want to be. And beyond that. To where the potential we see in them can take them.”
There is ample opportunity at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, CUNY, to achieve these goals, more than Marcus had anticipated before accepting this opportunity. He optimistically welcomes the challenge and strives to provide student success within the AccessABILITY Services.
“Twenty-five percent of our students have some disability,” Marcus notes. “The key is to get them to comfortably acknowledge their disability, to not think of it as a stigma. I encourage them to focus on academics and how I can help them move forward. Once that happens, the students begin to see how they can accomplish their goals, and a level of trust ensues.”
The Mentoring 4 Impact sessions began at Guttman College in Fall 2020. The program started slowly as it was geared to the first-year student, but steadily attracted interest. The most significant increase in attendance came via word of mouth. One of their enthusiastic students, who attended the initial sessions, passed along meeting information and brought at least one new student with him regularly. Advertisements within the Guttman Gazette, social media, and internal communication also helped spread the word on how significant Mentoring 4 Impact is for our students. During the pandemic, virtual sessions have consistently brought in nine to ten students per week.
“Image Impact sessions have been particularly interactive,” Marcus said. “They have greatly increased participation by breaking out a group of ten to twelve students into groups of two to three. This has led to students feeling more comfortable opening up about their challenges and how they are overcoming obstacles.”
The sessions focus on advising on applying for jobs, preparing the thirty-second pitch, and dress for success for an interview. One-on-one mentoring has also been extremely helpful.
In the future, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College are looking for the expansion and success of the Mentoring 4 Impact program. They plan to bring in guest speakers regularly, as they have found their scholars are more comfortable and quite active in the Q&A sessions that have followed event discussions. In addition, an increased social media presence and the excitement from the graduation and scholarships of the program are expected to bring more students into the program next year.