Bunker Hill Community College Welcomes New International Exchange Students

News provided by

Sep 24, 2015, 01:01 ET

BOSTON, Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twelve international students have arrived at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) as part of the Community College Initiative Program (CCIP). A program of the U.S. State Department, CCIP provides participants with quality educational study at U.S. community colleges. The program is designed to build technical skills, enhance leadership capabilities and strengthen English language proficiency. Since 2013, 35 students, who have completed more than 2,800 hours of volunteer service, have participated through BHCC, one of 17 host campuses. CCIP participants, especially women, are recruited from underserved and under-represented communities.

BHCC Community College Initiative Program (CCIP) students at a welcome reception on September 11, 2015.

"The students bring fresh perspectives and diverse cultural traditions to campus. They make an important contribution to our students' understanding of the larger world," said Vilma Tafawa, Executive Director of BHCC's International Center. According to the 2012-2013 Open Doors Report, only 1 percent of U.S. community college students will gain 21^st-century international experience and workforce skills through study abroad.

On September 11, the group was welcomed with a reception in the A300 Lobby. The visitors, from Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey, will spend the year taking classes, meeting members of the Boston community and gaining practical experience through internships. "The CCIP was the beginning of an exchange of ideas that will continue throughout my life," said Surya Madhala, a 2013-2014 participant from India.

The students will complete one-year certificates in areas ranging from Early Childhood Education and Energy and Sustainability Management to Entrepreneurship and Fire and Emergency Management—fields designed to help them contribute to the economic growth and development of their countries when they return home. For further information, contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at [email protected].

Media Contact:
Karen M. Norton, Executive Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-228-2177; Email: [email protected]

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 14,000 students on two campuses and at three satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-seven percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls more than 850 international students who come from approximately 100 countries and speak more than 75 languages.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150924/270500

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College