Fall 2011 Newsletter

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When Dan Worthy (‘11) entered the Professional Studies program in the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, he knew exactly what his ultimate goal was. He was focused, determined, and driven to make his capstone a reality.

Worthy is a US veteran who knows first- hand the difficulties veterans face when returning to civilian life. He wanted to take his own experiences and create an organization that would help other veterans get back on their feet through education and employment.

"Throughout my time at RIT, I was able to develop a company of my own which I named Capstone HEROES. Capstone HEROES offers transition- al services to veterans in the areas of education, employment, finance, and housing," says Worthy, who is seeing his company transform from services to a physical location. He was also able to use the work developing his company and working with organizations throughout Rochester as his co-op experience.

During his co-op experiences, Worthy worked with the Veteran Center, Amer- ican Legion, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans Court. He was able to use his multidisciplinary experiences from the classroom and enhance the services they provide. He has also consulted with other academic institutes to help create programs for veterans. He has helped pave the way for future veterans centers at area colleges.

In addition to his work in the Rochester area during his co-op and time at RIT, Dan Worthy has been able to secure a 10,000 square foot facility in Jersey City, NJ as the operating center for his veter- ans outreach programs. Funding for his project was provided by two counties in New Jersey.

Worthy hasn’t been taking on this large task alone, his fiancée, Akilah Clark (‘11) has been working alongside him the whole way. Clark’s Professional Studies degree with concentrations in Public Relations and Project Management have helped spread the word about the work Worthy has been doing.

Of the Professional Studies program in CMS, Worthy states "I chose this program because it allowed me to select a combination of skills that I knew I would need to be successful. I loved the fact that I could use the best of sev- eral disciplines to advance my career. This type of program gives students a distinct advantage in the work place be- cause they are able to connect the dots where others may be restricted to their area of expertise."