Blog May 03, 2021
It’s April, so you know what that means: Community College Month! This month, we celebrate that anyone from any walk of life can become a community college student. Community colleges are also lifelines to meet basic needs, land a better career and keep learning for life.
Did you know that this month had its origin in the Reagan administration in 1986? It’s true! The Proclamation reads as follows:
“The more than thirteen hundred community, technical, and junior colleges, public and private, in the United States have contributed enormously to the richness and availability of American higher education. Nearly half of all undergraduate college students in the Nation today are enrolled in such institutions.
“By providing educational opportunities at costs and locations accessible to all who are qualified, community, technical, and junior colleges have greatly enhanced the opportunity for every ambitious student, young or old, to enter a postsecondary school program.”
Proclamation 5418—National Community College Month, 1986
Did you know…
Answer key at the end!
Our two-year colleges have the unique ability to transform lives, power the regional workforce and strengthen communities. So that’s why this month, we present you with some highlights from the social media conversation.
When it comes to community colleges, it’s really all about the students. At BridgeValley, students are weighing in on why community college is the smart choice when it comes to higher ed.
What better way to celebrate Community College Month than with a successful alum profile?
After listening to the Everything Your College Needs to Know About TikTok podcast, we couldn’t help but branch out a little with a TikTok post. This grateful grad demonstrates the power of community colleges! “When you graduate from a community college with honors, a Phi Theta Kappa member, and a full-ride scholarship to a four-year university…” 🥳 Congrats! Phi Theta Kappa, @phithetakappa on TikTok
Some uneducated folks may think that community colleges don’t measure up. 👎 But these savvy alums know the truth: community colleges open the door to remarkable opportunities you can’t find anywhere else!
For this community college grad, UC Berkeley wouldn’t have been possible right out of high school. But with a friendly boost from his local community college? That’s when his UC aspirations were set to soar. And those 500+ retweets? From a lot of people who had the same experience of saving money and going further at community college!
And what better way to celebrate community colleges than with alum who continue to give back? Thanks for putting the “community” into community colleges, Michael!
High-profile professionals know that you can go far with a community college degree. So that’s why they’re not afraid to say it!
For the Governor, community college was his ticket to higher ed and higher office. According to Cayetano’s bio,
“Married at 18, he became a father at 19 and worked as a service station attendant, laborer, truck driver, electrician apprentice and draftsman to support his family. He realized quickly that his lack of a college education was a major obstacle to better opportunities. In 1963, he moved with his wife and two children to Los Angeles to pursue a college degree. The long ten-hour flight to Los Angeles was the first time he had ever been off the island of Oahu or on an airplane.
“In Los Angeles, he found a job as a draftsman and prepared for college. His poor high school grades required a stint through Los Angeles Harbor College, where he worked hard to get his grades up before he was finally admitted to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1966… He graduated from UCLA in 1968 and from Loyola University School of Law in 1971.”
Ben’s Bio
Community college alum and dental hygienist Kristina Hyatt is also the author of the children’s book, “Shelby Goes to the Dentist.” It helps children know what to expect during a dental appointment and encourages them to have good dental health! She’s also a regular volunteer for “Smile Drive,” where she helps collect oral health products to distribute to Native American children across the country.
Take it from the stars: community colleges are the places to start stage-worthy careers! Listen to Morgan Freeman about how he kick-started his acting career at a two-year:
A community college voice coach encouraged Freeman to articulate like an actor, giving the rising star his distinguished diction! According to Freeman, “In Los Angeles City College, I had a voice and diction instructor who was very good at his job. You had to learn to speak and sound your final consonants.” Freeman was 22 when he went to school.
In conclusion, we hope you had a stellar Community College Month!
If you’re looking for more, then check out #cccommunity3: Herstory Makes Happy Headlines.
Do you have a personal best you’d like to share? Then please send your good news to reachout@interactcom.com for a chance to be featured in our next #cccommunity3!
By Wyatt Otto, Content Manager With TikTok growing to become the most popular platform for traditional college students (age 18-22), more colleges are joining the platform to better connect to… Read More – So Your College is on TikTok, Now What?
We’re all familiar with she/her and he/him pronouns, but there’s a third set of pronouns that we need to become more familiar with, and that’s singular they/them pronouns.
In an interview with Paula Di Dio, Ph.D. in Latin American literature and cultural studies and senior director of communications & research strategist at Interact, we break down how best to communicate with Latino and Hispanic students.
Read More – Writing and Marketing to Latino and Hispanic Students