By Hannah Hecht–By the time first-year students arrive on campus for move-in day, most Morningside students are already familiar with the life in the Midwest. However, that was not the case for senior Miguel Beltran, who lived his entire life in Santa Ana, California, before coming to Morningside in August of 2010.
“It’s different here,” he said. “Everyone’s so friendly and open to talk. Back home, if I were to be in school and say hi to someone, they wouldn’t say hi back. They’d be more like, ‘Who’s this creep?’”
Beltran discovered Morningside College through its connection with the Nicholas Academic Centers (NAC) in Santa Ana. More NAC students attend Morningside than almost any other college in the country. And this spring Beltran will become one of the first students from the program to attend Morningside for four years and graduate.
NAC is an after-school program that got its start several years ago when California Superior Court Judge Jack K. Mandel learned that a group of students in a Santa Ana high school had to sit outside the school to do their homework because the district couldn’t afford to keep the library open. Mandel got permission to open the library in the evenings and work with the students.
The students thrived in their academics, but still lacked the resources or support to attend college. Mandel began working to open up opportunities for higher education for students who had the drive to be successful but not necessarily the support to make it happen. His efforts grew into the current program, which receives funding from philanthropist Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III.
Morningside President John Reynders learned about the program while working at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn., so he worked to build a relationship with the NAC when he came to Morningside.
“They’re careful that they don’t send these students just anywhere; they want to make sure that it’s a place where these students have a great chance of succeeding,” Reynders said. “It took a while for Morningside to earn Dr. Nicholas’ and Judge Mandel’s trust that we’re the type of place where NAC students would prosper. I think we’ve proven just that.”
While Beltran and Jesus Cendejas are two students of that first group of who started at Morningside their freshman year and are graduating, other students are following in their footsteps. Seventeen students from NAC currently study at Morningside. The only school with more students from NAC is Allegheny College. It has 18 students. Some other schools that have accepted NAC students are Georgetown University, Grinnell College, Pomona College and the University of Notre Dame.
Cendejas said when choosing a college, more than anything, he wanted to be somewhere different from California.
“I came to visit Morningside and I fell in love with the people, but not with the place and the city,” he said. “But Christ is a big part of my life, so the reason I came here is that I felt he was guiding me to come to this place. As soon as I came here, it became home. I realized that this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Once students arrive at Morningside, the Student Success Program is here to help them make the transition to college. NAC students have weekly meetings with André McWell, the director of the Student Success Program, to help them address any transitional issues that may arise.
“The Student Success Program helps because it feels like we have a support system and someone to pick you up when you fall,” said Desiree Ponce, a NAC student who is now a freshman at Morningside. “Our weekly meetings are nice because you get to just let it out. André is our dad while we’re here. Life at Morningside would be a lot more difficult without André here or without the support of the president or his wife, Robin.”
McWell encourages Morningside students from Santa Ana to become leaders around campus. Many NAC students, including Beltran and Cendejas, are very heavily involved in campus organizations and activities.
“I have seen this first class with Miguel and Jesus go from coming into my office for help to coming into my office to tell me how they’ve been helping others,” McWell said.
Four years at Morningside have transformed them both into adults ready to take on the world. Beltran, a chemistry major, would like to return to California and find a job in food testing. Cendejas, a religious studies major, is planning on staying in Sioux City, despite his initial aversion to life in the Midwest. He would like to focus on ministry work for a year or two and eventually go to seminary to become a pastor.
“Morningside enabled me to be a part of the community here on campus and also throughout the city,” Cendejas said. “It opened doors for me for the future.”
Each summer, Reynders and McWell regularly travel to Santa Ana over the summer to meet with prospective students and their families. During these visits, current students and their parents share their Morningside experiences. These visits help parents of prospective students to put a name and face to the college, so that they know that their sons and daughters will be in good hands. So far, each year Morningside’s enrollment of NAC students has increased.
“I strongly believe that people are coming here because it is a good place to be,” Ponce said. “People here are so nice and they make you feel welcome. Whenever we go back, we say good things about the college, which also makes people want to come.”
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