Back to campus: Alumna joins with daughter at orientation session

Reviewing material at parent session, Dawn Sisson returned to her alma mater to help get her daughter enrolled in MCC for the fall.

Enterprise resident Dawn Sisson was among the parents who gathered at Meridian Community College's orientation session, Liftoff, but it wasn't her first time to step on the Highway 19 North campus. 

An alumna who first enrolled in MCC in 1990, Sisson returned to the College for the latest Liftoff session to help get her fourth daughter started on her college career. 

"I tell my daughters all the time: ‘Education. Education. Education. Get your education because that is the only thing that will get you anywhere … have a career and be able to do for yourself,’’ she added. 

Three of her five daughters are MCC alums and now her fourth daughter will begin her MCC journey in the Fall Semester 2023 that starts Aug. 14. Sisson said she's glad her children have chosen her alma mater, especially since it is close to home. 

Primarily geared toward students to prepare them for the first day of classes and introduce them to campus services, and foster success, Liftoff also offers an information session aimed at parents to learn about financial aid, housing, advising, accessibility, and other student support services. 

Mandy Hurtt, director of recruiting, said the primary mission of Liftoff is for students to know College staffers are eager to help them prepare for their future. "We want them to succeed and do everything we can to help them find that pathway to graduation," she said. 

The next Liftoff session is Aug. 10. For more information about Liftoff, visit meridiancc.edu/liftoff.