Nazareth’s LifePrep@Naz honored with Cornerstone Award from The Arc of Monroe
Nazareth College is celebrating more than a decade since first opening its doors as home to LifePrep@Naz, an innovative program providing a fully immersive on-campus college experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Monroe is now honoring Nazareth with this year’s Cornerstone Award. It was presented at the 2022 A Toast to The Arc gala on October 21 for Nazareth’s integral part in sustaining and building The Arc of Monroe and supporting its programs and services. LifePrep@Naz is a reciprocal partnership between Nazareth College and two community partners: Victor Central School District and The Arc of Monroe.
“Nazareth College is the perfect recipient for this award because of the support and possibilities they provide to Arc students through the LifePrep@Naz program,” said The Arc of Monroe’s President and CEO Tracy Petrichick. “Nazareth College has opened its doors and fulfilled the dream of a college education for countless young adults. Nazareth is a true partner in inclusion with The Arc of Monroe.”
In the past 11 years, 78 young adults have joined the Golden Flyers family and gained opportunities to be fully immersed in campus life by attending college classes and participating in internships, joining clubs and organizations, and attending college functions and athletic events. The graduating LifePrep students also take part in Nazareth's Commencement each year.
Jake Miller, pictured in the front of the selfie photo, and many Nazareth students he met through four years in LifePrep@Naz formed a close community that continues to be a big part of Miller’s life. Four years after completing the program for young adults with developmental challenges, Miller is like the mayor of campus, making his rounds through multiple buildings several times a week — visiting friends and posing for selfies before and after his work shifts as a culinary ambassador in the dining hall.
In turn, LifePrep students have provided opportunities for 252 Nazareth College students — including 45 currently involved — to learn and grow as they offer academic support, peer mentorship, and friendship.
Kelsey Barrett ’19, who worked in the program, draws on those experiences as a math teacher at Westminster Community Charter School in Buffalo, New York. She joined LifePrep@Naz as a student mentor in 2015; she later became a LifePrep@Naz graduate assistant, and eventually a student teacher.
Barrett says the students and the program “helped me realize how much I gravitated toward teaching and helping people with their education” and gave her additional skills. The sense of community the program creates, Barrett explains, helped her to feel included and “helped me build relationships with people that I don’t think I necessarily would have” without it. Barrett adds that she built upon her communication skills, developed teaching styles individualized to each student, and created a familiar and comfortable environment for her students.
Read more about how LifePrep@Naz influenced Jake and Kelsey in the story: The Mayor of Campus.
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
