Our Stories

Cathy Smith

Published Sept. 2, 2025

Cathy Smith, 72, motivates her memoir-writing students by empowering them to forget syntax and focus on storytelling. She invites freedom of expression by prompting her senior students, all enrolled in Prince George’s Community College’s SAGE (Seasoned Adults Growing Educationally) program, with reflective topics like the meaning of friendship or a time they felt on top of the world.

“Their writing really improves, and best of all, they become friends with one another,” Smith said. “It's a really great way to combat isolation among older people, which is a real issue. It’s a community gathering.”

Students in Smith’s classes share personal reflections, in sincere tones, one by one, with pauses full of insight. Their stories reveal intimate life experiences, dynamic characters they have encountered, and significant lessons learned.

“Some of the things that I write about, my family and my children have never heard,” Faye Vieira, a class participant originally from Guyana but now living in Maryland, said. “I think it is a way of leaving them something to ponder on, so they have some idea of who their mother really was.”

Many of Smith’s students use the memoir-writing class as a stepping-stone to publish full books to sell to the public or share exclusively with family. Past class participants have published book titles including: “My Wonderful Journey Home to the Motherland” by Phyllis Tucker-Saunders, a story documenting an African American woman’s visit to Ghana in West Africa; “Byrtle’s Girl and a Rocket Scientist” by Sue and Dennis Evans a couple who documented their 72-year marriage, family life, and the husband’s career working for NASA; “Leadership by Serving: Lessons Learned by an Academic Leader” by Dr. Mickey L. Burnim, former president of Bowie State University; and a memoir by Paul McManamen detailing the life of a nearly 100-year-old man who was raised in a log cabin on Wyoming’s frontier.

Smith has taught memoir writing for SAGE students at PGCC for over a decade. Her introduction to the work has its own legacy story after hearing how much her mother-in-law, Martha Steward-Smith, loved the class but missed it once the previous instructor stopped teaching it. Steward-Smith published a memoir titled “I Always Wanted to Be A Writer.” Cathy Smith dutifully took over teaching the course in her mother-in-law’s honor. She says teaching the course is inspirational and satisfies her craving for new experiences.

“I look forward to my classes,” Smith said. “I really love my people. I love the process. I love writing. It has enhanced my own writing, and it's very inspiring when you see people really understanding that their life has significance—that their life really mattered and that they have a legacy to pass on. It's very exciting and I feel that for myself.”

Smith, a lifelong social justice advocate, spent most of her professional career writing about affordable housing issues across the United States. She understands the value of community colleges because, at age 18, she started her educational journey The Community College of Allegany County in Pittsburgh.

“Community colleges are important because not everybody has money, and even now I think they're [colleges] pretty expensive,” she said. “They're so important because where else do you start? If you want to go on to a four-year college and not be tremendously in debt, then a community college is a really good way to go.”

Smith believes in access to education for all and now welcomes seniors to connect and make meaning of their life’s treasured memories. Although she teaches one class in person at Collington senior living facility, she says her online Zoom classes are even more effective because they are intimate and convenient for home-bound seniors. Many of the students return to participate in the class year after year, and it has transformed into a close-knit writing group.

Marlys Larsen, 84, a class participant from Cheverly, Maryland, would title her life story “I’m A Lucky Lady.” She has written about her family’s personal journey with adoption.

“I’ve had a lot of interesting events in my life, and I really don’t want them to be lost. I want them to be obtained and reviewed so somebody else can learn from them, too.”

These senior SAGE students take documenting their personal history as a serious and important part of life.

In addition to memoir writing, PGCC’s SAGE program features classes on a variety of topics, including language, history, literature, music, computers, and finances. For more information about the full class list and fall registration, visit https://www.pgcc.edu/sage.

Ahnora Ozor

Published June 24, 2025

Ahnora Ozor's story begins with an unexpected change of plans that brought her family from Nigeria to the U.S. in October 2020.

"It was supposed to be Canada," she recalls with a laugh. "I still have to ask my dad what happened, because to this day, I don't know what happened!"

The transition was not easy. She arrived during the coronavirus pandemic and was placed in 11th grade because of her age, even though she already completed secondary school in Nigeria.

Ozor attended DuVal High School and discovered Prince George’s Community College through the dual enrollment program. She was drawn to community college because of the opportunity to enroll in college courses while still in high school and reduce her higher education expenses. 



"Taking some of the dual enrollment classes, I really, really liked the professors. They really made an impact on me," she said.

Once enrolled as a full-time PGCC student, Ozor got involved with leadership positions, as it reminded her of similar roles she held in her home country.

“Back in Nigeria … you have the head girl, the head boy … each person has a leadership position,” she explained. As a former soccer player, she chose to join PGCC’s Student Government Association (SGA) because it allowed her to be involved with athletics, since there was no women’s soccer team on campus. Both students and faculty recognized her leadership, and she was elected to be SGA vice president.

Perhaps Ozor’s most ambitious undertaking was reviving PGCC’s debate team. She enjoyed debate competitions in Nigeria and even considered it as a possible career path.
“I really loved debating … I wanted to be a motivational speaker when I grew up [but my mom wanted me to] be a doctor, be a lawyer, whatever.” She did research, talked to friends, and ended up restarting the club and enrolling it in the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA), the oldest intercollegiate association of its kind in the U.S. The team competed against prestigious schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

"People were really mesmerized by the fact that we were a community college coming in to just beat the likes of Harvard," she recalled. “This is why I created the club. This … [was] the vision I saw.” Ozor is proud that the debate club will continue after she leaves PGCC.

Amid her success, Ozor also navigated personal challenges. In 2023, her mother suffered a stroke, adding family responsibilities to her already packed schedule of classes, ROTC training at the University of Maryland, and multiple leadership roles.

"I knew I was strong ... but now I know obviously you could do anything you put your mind to," she said.