Elease A. Wiggins '08
Graduation Year: 2008 (AA) 2009 (BPS)
Major: Applied Management
Minor: Public Administration
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Current Professional: CEO and Doctoral Student at Felician University
Self-Employed: EAW Enterprises
Why did you choose to attend Medgar Evers College?
I chose to attend Medgar Evers College because I was at a crossroad. I knew I needed to do more with my life. However, at the time I did not know how. The location was convenient. It just divinely worked out because attending Medgar Evers College saved and improved the quality of my life.
What is one of your favorite memories, classes, professors, or activities while attending Medgar Evers College as a student?
One of my favorite memories is working with all the members of Student Government Association. In those relationships, I learned that when students unite and organize, they can make progressive changes not just in the college but in the surrounding community alike.
I remember taking a summer economics course with professor Dr. U. She not only taught us about economics, but she also shared her sacrifices and success as a mother. This showed me that it is possible for me to be successful in my career and as a mother.
As a SEEK student, I loved working with students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community organizations in hosting coat and food drives during the holidays. Also, the SEEK program provided me with my first position in higher education.
How has your education at Medgar Evers College influenced or helped you in your life and career?
Since graduating from Medgar, I have accumulated titles such as, Speaker, Author, College Professor, Consultant, Personal Development Coach, Trainer, Entrepreneur, Chaplain, and Philanthropist in my career. My Medgar education has ignited a spirit of social justice within me. In my Public Administration course, Professor Pursoo said to us on the last day of class: “Now that you know, you can’t not know, so what are you going to do about it?” So, with the support and resources I received from the COPE program in 2015, I self-published a personal development book entitled, A Farewell to Welfare: 25 Strategies to Freedom, Independence and Prosperity. This book provides strategies for individuals transitioning from being dependent on welfare and discouraged to being empowered, and independent. Then in August of 2018, I founded Communities Promoting Reading (CPR). CPR is a non-profit organization that supports intergenerational family literacy by providing resources to low-income student parents in GED & ESL programs. I am currently a doctoral student at Felician University studying counseling psychology. My research interest is the administration of mental health services to underrepresented and marginalized populations.
What are one or two of your proudest professional or personal accomplishments that occurred after graduating from MEC in which your education played a role?
Personally, being the mother of two amazing human beings who are full of love, creativity, curiosity, and energy. Taking sociology and psychology courses at Medgar taught me to heal from my trauma instead of passing it on to my children. As a parent I can admit when I am wrong or when I make mistakes and I apologize to my children because they deserve my love and respect. Therefore, my children and I learn and grow from one another.
As a counselor for the workforce New Jersey (WFNJ) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF/Welfare) program, I created an administrative manual to facilitate a virtual group job-search program for the clients in response to COVID-19. The manual was based on strategies I shared in my book and theories I learned from my courses at Felician University. Shortly thereafter, the virtual program was recognized by the Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor as a “Best Practices” for its effectiveness in increasing client participation rates amidst a global pandemic.
What piece of professional advice would you give your fellow MEC alumni?
Please do not forget why Medgar was founded: To support, serve and improve the community and to embody the spirit of social justice in your career and daily life.
