LCCC Great Grads

Mackenzie Keys

Elyria Woman Plans to go Far, But Gets the Start She Needed at LCCC

Mackenzie Keys, of Elyria, started her college career as a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student at LCCC while still in high school at Elyria Catholic. She’s finishing it up by being named to the All-Ohio Academic Team Third Team. 

She received a $100 cash scholarship and an All-Ohio medallion at a ceremony in Columbus in early May. She will graduate this spring from LCCC with an associate’s of arts degree.

Created in 1997, the All-Ohio Academic Team provides recognition to outstanding students in Ohio’s 23 public two-year colleges. 

To be eligible, students must be nominated by their college president and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25. 

Keys said that as a Post Secondary Enrollment Options student she decided that LCCC was the best option for her to start her path in higher education. “By attending LCCC and getting a scholarship I was able to work part time and save money so I can transfer on when I’m done here. I have benefitted academically, financially and personally by attending LCCC,” Keys said.

And she has big plans. “I’m going to attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall and seek a bachelor’s degree in History. After that I plan on living in Ireland while going to school at the University College Cork to earn a master’s degree in Historical Research,” Keys said. 

Her interest is in focusing on the History of the Irish Diaspora and Settlement.

But she won’t be done there. “Eventually I hope to earn my dual Ph.D. in American and Public History from Loyola University in Chicago. My career goal is to be a professor of history,” she said.

With all of these big plans to earn degrees in other cities and countries, why choose LCCC to start? The answer is simple according to Keys.

“LCCC helped me earn a quality education, but at the lowest cost. I was able to work part-time and save money for tuition to transfer for the next step in my educational goal,” Keys said. “I had been offered scholarships from other colleges outside of Ohio, but the best decision for me and my family was to save money and start at LCCC.”  

While an LCCC student, she took full advantage of the experiences available to her, serving as financial secretary for the LCCC Student Senate and organizing several activities for that student group, participating in several College committees like FamilyFest, Academic Quality Improvement Program Design Team and the Service Learning Advisory Committee. She is a member of the LCCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honorary society for community college students. 

“I’m so glad that I decided to attend LCCC for my first two years of college. I have met some of the best people and I’ve experienced some amazing things,” Keys said.

LCCC is proud that she has been a part of its history.