Alumni Profiles
Anthony Layton
JCC alum is selected as a McNair Scholar.
JCC alumnus Anthony Layton is looking forward to not only completing his bachelor’s degree at Siena Heights University but also continuing on to complete his master’s degree. He’s gotten some help along the way.
Layton, who received his Associate in General Studies degree from JCC in 2007, transferred to Siena Heights to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. He was already in his first semester at SHU when he learned about the McNair Scholars, a federally funded program designed to encourage eligible undergraduates to pursue graduate studies leading to the completion of a doctoral degree. He was admitted to the program later after a professor took notice of one of his papers and, while he wasn’t sure he would qualify for the program’s requirements, he decided to apply.
McNair Scholars must be low-income or first-generation college students, or be a member of an under-represented group in graduate education with good grades and a desire to further their education. Among the program’s many benefits are stipends for students during college, guidance in researching and selecting a graduate school, development of a research project in one’s field, and academic assistance if needed. Layton participates in special activities geared for McNair Scholars, and is looking forward to his research project and what is coming down the road in graduate school.
A graduate of Western High School, Layton was a recipient of JCC’s College Incentive Program scholarship, which provides two years of free tuition to students who are inducted in their sixth-grade year, provided they successfully graduate high school. “I wanted to go to Florida to become a motorcycle mechanic, but my mom strongly urged me to use the scholarship I had to JCC,” Layton said. “After my first class here, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
Layton said he had an excellent time at JCC, and it’s important to his whole family: his mother and a younger brother are taking classes at the College. He’s also happy at Siena Heights and encourages others to think about SHU.
