Let’s give students real-world opportunities

The Mosaic Collective program provides high schoolers with opportunities to challenge themselves.

Students are often told they need experience to get hired. The question is: How do they gain meaningful professional experience before they graduate?

The Mosaic Collective at Finger Lakes Community College was created to help answer that question.

The College is still actively recruiting for the 2026–2027 academic year, and I'd love your help spreading the word. Families can reach out to me directly at Jacqueline.Tiermini@flcc.edu. 

If you know a high school or homeschool senior who is looking to combine college coursework with authentic, career-connected learning and meaningful professional experience, I'd love to connect.

Our student associates spend their mornings on the FLCC main campus taking a college course of their choice and the remainder of their time working in collaborative teams on real projects for real businesses and community organizations.

This isn't simulated work.

Students meet with clients. They research. They create. They present. They solve real problems.

Jacqueline Tiermini, professor of humanities, with students in the 2025-26 Mosaic Collective program.
By the time they graduate high school, our associates haven't just earned college credit. They've built portfolios, contributed to meaningful community projects, worked alongside professionals, and discovered strengths they may not have known they had.

Because sometimes the most important thing students gain isn't just experience.
It's confidence.
It's purpose.
It's a better understanding of who they are and what they're capable of becoming.

But students are only part of the story.

We're also building our project pipeline for this fall.

Beginning in September, our associates will once again partner with businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, schools, and community organizations throughout the Finger Lakes region. If your organization has a project that could benefit from fresh ideas and dedicated student teams, we'd love to start a conversation.

Who comes to mind?
A high school senior ready to gain professional experience before graduation?
A homeschooled student looking for a supportive community that blends college coursework with authentic, hands-on learning?
A business, nonprofit, municipality, school, or community organization with a meaningful project?
An educator, counselor, parent, or community leader who knows someone who would thrive in this environment?

If someone came to mind, I'd be grateful if you would share this post, make an introduction, or reach out.

Some of the most meaningful opportunities begin with a simple conversation.
Real projects. Real partners. Real impact.

Professor Jacqueline Tiermini is chair of the FLCC Humanities Department and coordinator of the Mosaic Collective program for high school students.