Medgar Evers College Legacy

Nefertari Skeete
Degree and Major: Bachelor of Arts, Early Childhood Special Education
GPA: 3.077

For Nefertari Skeete, being an alum of Medgar Evers College is a family affair. Her father, Dereck Skeete, is not just a lecturer in the Chemistry and Environmental Science Departments, but he graduated in spring 1995 as a CUNY BA/BA student with a BA in Mathematical Physics. His middle child’s choice to matriculate at his alma mater was one that made him immensely happy.

“Medgar Evers College is a home away from home that gives a lot of support to their students,” Dereck said. “As a result, I felt that my daughter Nefertari would surely thrive in such a supportive and nurturing environment.”

The elder Skeete was clearly on to something as his daughter is set to graduate with a 3.077 GPA on the way to earning a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education with a concentration in Mathematics. After graduating from Freeport High School out on Long Island, Nefertari started out with a semester at Nassau Community College before transferring to Medgar Evers College. It’s a decision she was glad she made.

“When I started at Medgar, I really enjoyed going there because everyone is like a family,” she said. “I decided to go into teaching because ever since I was younger, I wanted to become a teacher. Since both my parents are teachers, I saw how they made a difference in their students’ lives and how they impacted them so I wanted to do the same thing.”

Having thoroughly enjoyed her Medgar Evers College experience between the rich interactions she had with professors and myriad on-campus events she attended, Skeete the younger is set to embark on the next chapter of her life.

“I want to become a kindergartner teacher,” she said. “My goal as a teacher is to help students find their voice by working on developing communication skills and confidence in expressing themselves. I like to see students at different levels develop with each other and learn. I want to challenge the students and watch them grow to their highest level of education.”