On Thursday, September 22, the University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees, President Ronald Mason Jr. and Dean Mashonda Smith held a dedication ceremony at the Old Congress Heights Campus. The event marked UDC’s commitment to Wards 7 and 8 through the UDC Community College Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning (WDLL). WDLL provides residents with job skills training to pursue employment opportunities. It focuses on industries that offer the highest number of employment opportunities within the District and the metropolitan area.
President Mason assured those gathered of UDC’s commitment to helping Southeast residents and those across the District reach their full potential as human beings.
“We are engaged in building more pathways to success, with multiple credentials and on and off ramps, from the Workforce Development Program to associate degrees, associate degrees to bachelor’s degrees and beyond,” Mason said.
Workforce Development Dean Mashonda Smith thanked UDC for its continued support in helping those less privileged.
“This dedication marks UDC and specifically Workforce Development’s real coming out and intentionally stating our presence and our purpose here East of the river within Ward 8, and our commitment to serving Wards 7 and 8,” Smith said.
Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White Sr. commended the University on giving back.
“Education is the great equalizer here,” he said. “We are doing everything in our power to ensure that we give residents in Ward 7 and 8, and even across the city, the resources, information, and access needed to be ready for not just jobs but careers. UDC, through its Workforce Development Program, is doing just that.”
Other speakers included UDC Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher D. Bell, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Lawrence T. Potter and Chairperson of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C Salim Adofo.
Adofo said UDC’s presence allows residents to develop the skills they need to improve their neighborhood.
“People right here can become carpenters, electricians and other things, thereby participating in the local economy.”
Margo “Ama” Giddens, a WDLL career counselor for over six years, said UDC’s dedication means a lot to her team because the program reflects the population it serves, the underemployed and unemployed.
“I am glad to see that the University as a whole recognizes the work we are doing and sees the value in it,” Giddens said. “We are truly linking UDC to the community. We provide opportunities for those who don’t have access to certain knowledge and industries. Our students return and tell us that they’ve found jobs or enrolled in universities, which is incredibly rewarding.”
For more information about the UDC Community College Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning, please click here.