Chris Gray, Ph.D.
Founding President, Erie County Community College of Pennsylvania
One of my favorite parts of serving as President of Erie County Community College is hearing the stories behind our students' success. Statistics tell part of the story, but the real impact of a college is found in the lives that are changed along the way.
Recently, I had the opportunity to hear graduate Stephen Renner share his journey, and it is a story worth telling.
Stephen graduated from EC3 with an Associate of Arts degree, earning an impressive 3.9 GPA while making either the President's List or Dean's List every semester. Along the way, he joined Beta Omega Tau, EC3's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the official international honor society for two-year and community colleges. While he was initially skeptical about paying a membership fee to join, he eventually decided to give it a try, and that decision ultimately opened doors he never imagined.
Through Phi Theta Kappa, Stephen applied for scholarship opportunities and was selected as one of the first two students from EC3 to be named to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges' 2026 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team. The recognition came with a trip to Harrisburg, networking opportunities, a formal awards ceremony, and perhaps most significantly, a full tuition waiver covering the two years needed to complete his bachelor's degree.
For Stephen, this honor represented much more than academic achievement, however. As a non-traditional student, his path to graduation was anything but straightforward.
Like many returning adult learners, Stephen had attempted college before and accumulated student loan debt without completing a degree. After spending years working jobs that offered limited opportunities for advancement, he became determined to create a different future for himself. He had planned to return to Pittsburgh and finish his studies in 2019, but the pandemic disrupted those plans. Over time, he began to believe that his dream of completing his education might never happen.
That changed in 2024.
While preparing to move back to Pittsburgh, Stephen was encouraged to explore local options and connected with an advisor at EC3. During that very first meeting, he learned that Erie County residents could attend tuition-free. He was accepted immediately, and started classes the same week.
His college journey did not begin perfectly, though. In fact, his first algebra class felt overwhelming. Rather than giving up, though, he visited the Learning Center, and Mari Howells helped him adjust his schedule to enroll in a foundational math course better suited to his needs.
That small act of support became the beginning of a remarkable academic journey.
Over the next two years, Stephen discovered that success in college is rarely about knowing everything from the start. Rather, it is about asking for help and continuing forward even when challenges feel overwhelming. In other words, it's about persistence.
He recalls struggling through early writing assignments in English 101 and wondering whether he could ever complete the level of work that college required. Later, when faced with a ten-page research paper in a condensed eight-week course, he once again doubted himself. He not only completed the paper, but he also earned an A.
Throughout his time at EC3, Stephen benefited from the encouragement of professors, staff members, friends, and coworkers who believed in him when he struggled to believe in himself.
One of those supporters was his supervisor, Alicia, who repeatedly helped him stay committed to his education. On two separate occasions, Stephen seriously considered leaving college. The first was when an attractive job opportunity offered higher pay but would have required him to relocate and abandon his studies. The second came when uncertainty about financial aid and future college expenses caused him to question whether completing a bachelor's degree would even be possible. In both moments, Alicia encouraged him to stay the course.
Now as he looks back, Stephen realizes just how invaluable that advice proved to be. By remaining committed to his goals even when doubt crept in, Stephen ultimately earned the tuition waiver that eliminated the financial burden that he feared would prevent him from continuing his education.
His experience also highlights something that makes EC3 special.
Stephen frequently speaks about the accessibility and dedication of the college's faculty and staff. One example stands out. Knowing that algebra would be required for his future social work degree, Stephen worried extensively about the course. Dr. Bailey met with him regularly, provided additional resources, created custom instructional videos, and offered support well beyond normal classroom expectations. The result? Stephen passed the course with a B and gained confidence that extended far beyond mathematics.
While academic success was important, perhaps the most powerful aspect of Stephen's story is the grit and determination that made that success possible. He worked incredibly hard to balance college while working more than sixty hours per week between his two jobs. When he enrolled, he did not own a vehicle and had to rely on public transportation and a bicycle to get where he needed to be. He was rebuilding his life and working toward a better future.
Most importantly, Stephen confronted personal challenges that had derailed opportunities earlier in his life. He openly shares that overcoming substance abuse struggles was a critical turning point in his journey. Achieving sobriety in 2023 created the foundation that made his later academic success possible.
It took immense courage to make those changes. It took incredible commitment to sustain them.
And it took determination to transform his setbacks into opportunities.
Today, Stephen's goals are ambitious. He attends PennWest University, pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work, and he eventually wants to earn his master's degree to become a therapist and operate a private practice. A doctorate remains a possibility somewhere down the road.
Most of all, he now believes that his goals are achievable. That confidence may be one of the greatest gifts education can provide.
Stephen is proud to be among the first graduates and alumni of Erie County Community College. He is equally proud to have represented EC3 on the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, an accomplishment that he says changed his life forever.
As EC3 continues to grow, stories like Stephen's remind us why community colleges matter. They create opportunities. They provide second chances. They help students discover strengths they did not know they possessed.
Stephen's journey is proof that it is never too late to start over, never too late to learn, never too late to dream, and never too late to build a brighter future. And for all of us at EC3, it is exactly the kind of story that makes us proud.
Our community. Your college.
