Dancing steps in support of Higher Edge college program fundraiser

November 21, 2014 11:00 pm • Last Updated: November 23, 2014 8:57 am

By Dana Jensen
Staff Photographer

Mayor of New London Daryl Justin Finizio and Naje Ramos, a freshman at Three Rivers Community College, perform during the Dancing for Degrees event presented by Higher Edge Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. The dance showcase of community leaders and students also included basket raffles and a silent auction to support local students looking towards and in college. The event was held at the Crozier-Williams Student Center on the Connecticut College Campus.

New London - Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio and his dancing partner Naje Ramos, a freshman at Three Rivers Community College, joined five other couples to compete in a performance during the Dancing for Degrees event presented by Higher Edge Saturday evening. The nonprofit education program sponsored a fundraiser to help low-income and first-generation students navigate the route to college.

The "Dancing for Degrees" fundraiser, styled to mirror the popular television show "Dancing with the Stars," paired six community leaders - Tanya Collins, teacher at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School; Daryl Justin Finizio, mayor of New London; Susan Jones of accounting firm Hoyt, Filippetti, & Malaghan; Anthony Nolan, New London city councilor and police officer; Steve Sigel, executive director of the Garde Arts Center, and Claire Warren, founder of the Plainfield Walk-In Medical Center - with six Higher Edge students to perform a swing, salsa, bachata or merengue dance.

Angie Marrero, a senior at Fitch High School, receives high five's from the other dancers after she and her dance partner Steve Sigel, executive director of the Garde Arts Center, stepped off the dance floor after their performance at the Dancing for Degrees event presented by Higher Edge Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. The dance showcase of community leaders and students also included basket raffles and a silent auction to support local students looking towards and in college. The event was held at the Crozier-Williams Student Center on the Connecticut College Campus.

Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.

STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU