Tri-C helps Angelique Patton discover her better self

December 09, 2016

Life’s roadblocks thwarted Angelique Patton a decade ago. Excuses littered her life.

When she looked in the mirror, Patton saw the eyes of a failure staring back.

“It was a bad situation,” Patton recalled. “I quit on myself. I gave up.”

The woman in that memory no longer exists. That person disappeared after Patton discovered her new self at Cuyahoga Community College, where scholarships, tutoring and advising gave her the confidence to succeed.

“I found people at the College who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” Patton said. “I’m indebted to them. They showed me what was possible. They got my fire burning.”

The high school dropout will make her first commencement walk this month when she receives an associate of arts degree from Tri-C. The Mandel Scholar will graduate with academic honors and a near-perfect GPA.

Next year, she’ll begin working toward a bachelor’s degree while studying urban studies and psychology at Cleveland State University.

The 46-year-old from Euclid said she wants to be a leader within the Greater Cleveland community. Patton hopes to one day open a nonprofit dedicated to helping others unlock their potential.

She said she’ll use leadership skills built through her studies at Tri-C’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, where she was in the inaugural class.

“You only go as far as the limitations you put on yourself,” Patton said. “I want to help people know they can dream big. That’s where success gets its start. That’s the lesson that Tri-C taught me.”