Woman bemoans closure of EGCC Warren campus

WARREN — Sixteen months ago, Tonya Mann was struggling. She was living in her car, and she had a criminal conviction that resulted in probation.

But she still believed in herself and wanted to get an education.

She had attended Eastern Gateway Community College’s Youngstown campus in 2014, but it was only when she arrived at the Warren campus in January 2016 that she felt she was in a position to succeed.

“The support is phenomenal. They worked with me here,” she said of the Warren campus. “They put themselves on the line. I was able to get a lot done and complete my studies,” she said this week from outside of the Warren campus on Main Avenue.

Mann, originally from Youngstown but now living in Warren, will graduate May 20 with an associate degree in business management and a minor in psychology.

“This helped me to be successful. It was more personable, and the classes are smaller. The counselors were able to help me get employment, and I started my own business,” she said of a cleaning service.

Now that Eastern Gateway is closing the Warren campus, Mann says she’ll have to consider continuing her education at the Youngstown campus, but she’d prefer to remain at one in Warren, she said.

“It saddens me because I want other people in my position to get this kind of opportunity,” Mann said.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator or Vindy.com