Community College of Philadelphia is pleased to announce that Dontae Bacon is a recipient of both the Joseph and Marie Field Opportunity and First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia Scholarships.

Dontae’s academic goals are to graduate from Community College of Philadelphia and transfer to his dream school, University of Maryland. Once he graduates from University of Maryland, he would like to become a middle school Physical Education teacher and coach sports teams at the school. 

Dontae is also a student athlete who volunteers in Grady’s Garden and the Snack Rack on campus.  

Q: If you are new to the College: Why are you excited to join Community College of Philadelphia? 

A: I know the powerful impact community colleges can have on students from diverse backgrounds, empowering them to reach their full potential and connecting them with meaningful career paths. Community colleges have a special way of fostering growth and providing opportunities that go beyond academics, and I’m happy to be part of that mission here at CCP. 

Q: How do you look forward to impacting our students with your academic/field training? 

A: I want my students to really get excited about tourism and hospitality. I want to bring the real world – through experiential learning – into the classroom, helping students to understand the important factors that drive success in these fields.  I am excited to contribute to their development, not only as professionals but as well-rounded individuals prepared to thrive in a dynamic, service-oriented industry. 

Q: Tell us a little about your previous work experience, including titles, and what degrees you have. 

A: I have more than 15 years of teaching experience at Montego Bay Community College, where I taught Tourism and Hospitality Management as well as Culinary Arts. I also worked as an adjunct at Northern Caribbean University, where I taught Hotel Operations Management. Additionally, I worked at Wilmington Job Corps as a Culinary Arts instructor. I hold a master’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management, and I am currently completing a doctorate in Business Administration. 

Q: Why did you choose to become an educator? 

A: I wanted to be in hospitality somehow, but I also wanted job security, and I thought that teaching would give me that opportunity. My journey started with a B.Ed. in Food Service Production and Management. During my teaching practice, I was placed in training centers, where I worked with students from diverse backgrounds and needs. This experience allowed me to connect with students on a deeper level, and I realized I could make a real difference. 

Q: What experience or individual influenced your career direction? 

A: My career direction was influenced by a personal drive to rise above my circumstances and create a better future for myself and my family and this kept me steadfast in pursuing my goals. I also had incredible professors and mentors whose support was truly invaluable — they showed me not only the many opportunities in the hospitality industry, but also the impact an educator can have in shaping students' lives. 

Q: Tell us something about yourself you would like the College community to know – hobbies, what you like to do for fun, a fun fact about yourself. 

A: Outside of teaching, I am a strong advocate for community service and giving back, as I believe in creating a positive impact both inside and outside the classroom. I love to travel, and I have an ever-growing bucket list of destinations I’m excited to explore. 

In the nearly nine years that Gabriela Hevia has lived in the United States, she has learned English, graduated from Community College of Philadelphia, discovered her passion for digital art and landed a prestigious internship with NBC Sports during the 2024 Olympic Games. Originally from Venezuela, Gabriela said she spoke little to no English when her family first came to the U.S. to flee political unrest in their home country. After completing a year at Philly’s Northeast High School, Gabriela started taking English classes at CCP. Once she had a strong enough handle on the language, she decided to start studying what she was truly passionate about: digital video production.

After graduating from CCP’s Digital Video Production program, Gabriela decided she wanted to focus her next steps on 3D animation work. 

“I'm really passionate about films, and I also have an artistic background like in drawing,” she said. “So, I wanted to combine those two.”

In 2022, Gabriela graduated CCP and transferred into the animation and game arts program at Moore College of Art and Design, where she is currently a junior. Since she was able to develop such a strong portfolio at CCP, and since she took enough credits at the College, Gabriela landed a competitive internship with Comcast in 2023 during her first year at Moore. And this year, that position landed her an internship with NBC Sports during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Gabriela said, “I was working with these great minds of the industry, and they were spending time teaching me every single sport, the history of them, how they work and why we should be looking on each of these sports during our internship there.”

Gabriela’s role during the 2024 Paris Olympics was shot selector for NBC Sports’ highlights factory. Her work entailed watching each of the Olympic games live and selecting interesting clips for social media and highlight reels on YouTube.

“The Paris Olympics recruited a lot of young people because of its influence on young viewers, which spend a lot of time on social media. Because our job was to watch every single sport live and look for the amazing, peculiar or funny moments of the Olympics,” Gabriela said. “We kind of were this group of people that know what’s happening on social media and what other people are going to talk about.”

Interning during the 2024 Paris Olympics was an incredibly rewarding experience. Even though she had to work long hours during those two weeks, Gabriela said she is so happy that she was given the opportunity to do the work and to make the connections that she did.

As for what’s next for Gabriela, she hopes to continue her work in 3D animation and maintain the connections she made with folks at DreamWorks during her time at Comcast. Gabriela wants to use her passion for storytelling and skills in drawing and animation to tell stories related to her own experiences and culture. 

“I want to write stories about what's happening back in my country because of the whole political problem. There's not a lot of news that’s showing what’s really happening.” 

Gabriela continued, “Besides making the stories, it's also [about] bringing culture into these films for people to get to know them. I want to translate not [only] the political problems that we have, but also the beautiful side of [Venezuelan culture].”

Gabriela said she is proud to have attended CCP and has watched the College evolve since her time here. She also wants to encourage current students to keep on their pathways, no matter how wobbly they may be.

She said, “I just want tell people that it’s okay, and that you don’t have to rush yourself. Eventually if your path has many ways to go, [you] will end up where you want to be.”