With dozens of College students, faculty and staff in attendance, Dr. Generals, Community College of Philadelphia’s president, held his annual Black History Month fireside chat on February 17. The event began as a rigorous examination of race and social stratification in the United States and eventually lead to a lively and multifaceted group conversation.   

Dr. Generals based the conversation around the book Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson, the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism.   

Given the long legacy of white supremacy in the United States, "Wilkerson makes the case for the idea that Americans really live in a caste society, not a class society,” Dr. Generals began. What a caste society means is that “if you're in certain a caste, in the eyes of [white supremacist society] you never move out of that caste, you're always who you are.” In other words, even though Black Americans can move through different economic classes, they will still be subject to societal forces that (often violently) codify their place in a subjugated social group. According to Wilkinson, other caste societies in history have included India and Nazi Germany.  

Dr. Generals discussed each of the “eight pillars” that characterize the caste society according to Wilkinson. The pillars are: Divine will, heritability, endogamy, purity and pollution, occupational hierarchy, dehumanization and stigma, terror and cruelty, and inherent superiority and inferiority of castes. The first two of these have to do with the use of religious text to justify castes and the inevitable inheritance of caste at birth, respectively.   

The third pillar, endogamy, is a feature in caste societies that prohibits interracial marriage, described Dr. Generals. “There were laws right up to the year 2000, Alabama was the last state to [nullify] those laws. Those laws were prevalent throughout the south, through the 19th century, and in the 20th century, where Blacks and whites could not marry one another.” The rationale for endogamy in caste societies can be explained through the fourth pillar, purity and pollution, which implies that lower castes “pollute the purity” of higher castes. Social segregation is another example of the pervasive nature of this logic in American society.   

“The fifth pillar, economic hierarchy...that's the idea that in societies that have a caste, culture and system, the group that holds up the basic economics of the society... basically, the service industry, those jobs are typically held by what you might refer to the lower caste of people,” Dr. Generals told the audience. Evidence of this in our society can be found in the wealth gap in America, where the wealth of the average white family is statistically almost ten times greater than that of the average Black family.  

The sixth and seventh pillars, dehumanization and stigma, have a long and cruel history in the United States. “There is a long history of dehumanizing Blacks that, you know, pretty, it's pretty self-explanatory even to this day,” said Dr. Generals. “And there is this issue of dehumanization and stigma to stigmatization terror as enforcement. The Ku Klux Klan, they were terrorists. That's the model for the types of terrorism that are occurring today.”  

The eighth and last feature of caste societies, inherent superiority and inferiority of castes, speaks for itself. Although caste cultures all have different histories and iterations of this type of social stratification, comparison through the frame of these eight pillars can be an extremely useful tool in understanding the systems that have historically held back people of color.   

By the end of Dr. Generals’ presentation, many members of the audience were eager to comment. Offering different perspectives on possible solutions to these issues, one audience member pointed out, “One thing [is] for sure, America stands on something called the U.S. Constitution... they wrote a very clear, legally binding document to benefit those that were in power. It's not meant for me, it's just not... so should we start there?”  

With Dr. Generals’ most recent Black History Month Fireside Chat, we learned that understanding the eight foundational pillars of a caste society can be an extremely useful way to dissect the mechanisms by which people are marginalized both in the United States and abroad. The critically acclaimed text Caste: The Origins of our Discontent brought new research and perspective into our community and helped Dr. Generals create a space where concerns and voices of people of color were brought to attention.   

Uniting paralegal skills, law firm experience and a desire to help others, Karla Rosario, ’15, is making a difference in the lives of refugees stranded at the United States-Mexico border.

Since February 2020, she has been the coordinator for Project Corazon, an initiative of the Lawyers for Good Government Foundation. Rosario has been living in Brownsville, Texas, helping individuals seeking asylum as they are forced to await their court hearings from Mexico.

“We find them volunteer attorneys to help with asylum paperwork, and we coordinate the translations and psychological evaluations to produce reports for their immigration applications,” she said.

With a federal policy requiring asylum seekers to stay in Mexico, Rosario works with individuals across the border from Brownsville in Matamoros, most of whom are living in a refugee camp. According to the law, asylum applications must be filled out within one year of arriving at the U.S. border. With court delays due to the lack of judges and asylum hearings on hold due to COVID-19, refugees are not sure how long they will have to wait in dangerous conditions, and they are without essential items like medicine. There’s even difficulty knowing how many individuals need assistance.

“It’s hard to say how many migrants are there,” said Rosario. “They hear rumors that the camp is closing, so some move around. Some wait in other Mexican states. Many of our clients have been kidnapped from the camps.”

Rosario has assisted individuals from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Ecuador, but many of those waiting at the border are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Frequently, she shared, individuals from these Central American countries are fleeing gang violence and death threats.

Since its founding in August 2019, the initiative has helped around 1,500 families, a total of 2,700 individuals, with the processes necessary to apply for asylum.

Arriving in the United States at 16, Rosario took English as a Second Language classes when she first enrolled at the College. She was also working two jobs to fund her education and learning English while a full-time student. Graduating with an associate degree in Paralegal Studies in 2015, she continued her studies at Temple, attending full-time while working at a law firm, earning money for school and gaining valuable experience. She completed her bachelor’s degree in 2018, and her ultimate goal is to become an attorney.

“The Paralegal classes at the College were great. They prepared me well,” she said.

A former instructor and a colleague told Rosario about the opportunity to help with the border crisis – work that she finds fulfilling.

“I am able to connect with these individuals and understand their situation, and I can be unbiased and get the facts,” said Rosario.

Moriah Lit has a message for nontraditional students interested in pursuing an education: Trust in yourself and in the academic excellence and support services provided by the College.

Moriah trusted in herself, and has been selected as the Student Speaker at the 2021 Commencent ceremony on May 8, 2021. Moriah was selected for this honor based on her many achievements at and contributions to the College. She is graduating with highest honor with a degree in Education: Secondary Humanities/Social Studies.

She enrolled at the College on a whim because she wanted more. Starting with Foundational English and math courses, she was unsure if she would be successful. 

“I did well, so I decided to take more classes,” she said.

Moriah's goal is to become a counselor and maybe one day work at the College.

“I’m drawn to helping people with their educational future,” she said.

Her hard work and dedication have led to being selected as a Bucknell Scholar for June 2021. The initiative provides select community college students with attendance to a free, on-campus, six-week summer session. This prestigious program requires applicants to carry a 3.5 GPA or higher, and scholars are invited to apply for transfer to Bucknell upon earning their associate degree. If admitted, each scholar receives full tuition for two years.

On another spur of the moment decision last fall, Moriah joined other students in running for positions in the Student Government Association (SGA) , and she was elected president by her peers. She will use her leadership skills to bring together student ideas and suggestions that can further shape the college experience for themselves and others.

Another priority as SGA president is informing students about the multitude of support services at the College, which helped further her academic journey.

“The College has amazing professors. There are many underutilized resources on campus—I want to shine a light on them. I’m active in the Center for Collegiate Recovery. There are counselors, advisors and the Computer Center and Snack Rack food pantry. Single Stop is amazing. Tutors in the Learning Labs are phenomenal. CCP has all of the components for success if you choose to utilize them,” said Moriah.

Committed to serving current and prospective students, she wants to mlit1 [at] student.ccp.edu (assist anyone) who feels the College may not be for them.

“A lot of people don’t return to school because they doubt themselves. I want to tell people it’s never too late to get an education or to better yourself,” she said.

In a huge step towards creating an accessible higher education system for all Philadelphians, the first cohort of Octavius Catto Scholars has begun classes this Spring 2021 semester. The group of new, first-time students is the first to participate in this groundbreaking program, which will provide free tuition for thousands of students at Community College of Philadelphia. 

Created in partnership with the City of Philadelphia and Mayor Jim Kenney, the Octavius Catto Scholarship will become an integral part of the City’s “continued commitment to expand quality education for all,” and will ultimately benefit 4,500 students in the next five years. “As we look to recover from this unprecedented pandemic, we are equitably ensuring that all Philadelphians have the educational opportunities to secure quality jobs,” said Mayor Kenney in October. He added, “Not only will this initiative help lift more Philadelphians out of poverty, it will also drive inclusive economic growth in our city.” 

The Octavius Catto Scholarship is named after a well-known scholar and activist, who in the 1860s and early 1870s fought for the liberation and rights of Black Americans during and after the Civil War. Octavius Catto is also the subject of Philadelphia’s first public monument to feature a single Black American. 

With Catto’s legacy and a vision of equal access to education in mind, the scholarship was designed to address the needs of students living in poverty in a holistic and comprehensive way. It includes funding intended to assist scholars with secondary costs like books and living expenses, a specialized support team of academic advisors to ensure that students are receiving the support they need, and access to  City services like child care and housing support. The College will also make any accommodations necessary for eligible applicants who are living undocumented in the United States.  

“A degree brings the benefits of expanded career options, family-sustaining wages and financial security,” said Dr. Donald Guy Generals, College president, in a Catto Scholarship virtual meet-and-greet last Thursday. Continuing, he said, “Education has the power to change lives. With this event, we celebrate these students and this opportunity to effect change.” 

To learn more about who is eligible for the Octavius Catto Scholarship, visit ccp.edu/Catto.  

The health and safety of Community College of Philadelphia students, faculty, staff and alumni remain our highest priorities. As a result, we are devastated to learn of the recent assault against Kendall Stephens, a distinguished alumna and Black woman of trans experience who commits her life to advocating for marginalized communities. Though Pennsylvania law still does not extend hate crime protections to LGBTQ+ individuals, the attack against Kendall seems to have been just that – a hate crime.

As an institution, CCP will not remain silent. Too many Philadelphians live in fear simply due to the color of their skin, who they love, and who they are. That’s why CCP has dedicated time and resources, especially as of late, to educating our communities through the “Enough is Enough” teach-in sessions. The four-part series focused on issues like police reform, how to be an ally to Black and Brown communities, and violence against the trans community. Panelists, including Kendall, were invited to speak about lived experiences and how we can all effect change. This series will continue this fall, and CCP looks forward to leading more courageous conversations about social injustice and the collective work we must do to confront it.

We ask Philadelphia to stand in solidarity with us – for our students, for alumni like Kendall, and for the future of this city. Learn more at www.ccp.edu/enough. #EnoughIsEnough

Signed,

Dr. Donald Guy Generals, College president, and Jeremiah White, Jr., Board chair, on behalf of the College’s Board of Trustees

It was in college that Quadir Gamble first learned that he is the key to solving the city’s toughest challenges. If he wants a better community, then he has to work with others toward common goals.

“We are all connected,” Gamble said. “When we all get together and work together, we can make an impact on our community.” This was his key takeaway from assistant professor Jamie Gusrang’s sociology class at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP)

Gamble is a junior at Parkway Center City Middle College, where students can earn a high school diploma and a CCP associate degree in just four years. Gusrang assigned her students to participate in community service either by volunteering or tackling a community issue. Service-learning affords students a chance to use lessons learned in class to affect the world around them, she said.

Gamble and classmates Jaden Burnett and Frank Gillis-Corbitt, decided to create a basketball tournament that would bring Philadelphia police officers and youth together for a fun activity so each could see the other through different, clearer eyes.

With support from their teachers and college staff, the trio organized a basketball tournament that would include Parkway students, teachers and staff, and members of the Philadelphia Police Department. The game, held in November 2019 and widely covered by local media, sparked a conversation that went far beyond police-community relations.

Helen Ubiñas, a metro columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote that the event was important for the spotlight it cast on the impact of gun violence and for the more than $1,800 it raised for Moms Bonded by Grief to buy Christmas gifts for the children of murder victims.

However, the young men also gave the city a reason to hope. “Things can often feel mighty bleak in our city. But as dire and divided as Philly is at times, it’s important for all of us to remember that there are good things going on in every neighborhood, and that there are people who care deeply about the city and every single day are fighting to make it better,”Ubiñas wrote.

The Philadelphia 9th District police officers who participated, ranging from age 24 to 48 years, billed themselves as the All Stars. Officer Jesse O’Shea said the department appreciated the invitation and plans to expand the concept next year by adding more basketball tournaments between high school youth and police.

“All of us have common ground,” O’Shea said. “We need to find and build upon it.”

Ultimately, the 10th graders from Parkway triumphed in the tournament, defeating the team of police officers by a score of 20-13. But this wasn’t really about a basketball game, Gillis-Corbitt said. It was about collective responsibility.

One of his key takeaways from sociology class was that society can and does change for the better, when enough people decide to do something. Said Gillis-Corbitt, “We have to take charge.”

As Roary brings new excitement and a renewed campus spirit, the Community College of Philadelphia Lions are showing the city that gritty teams that play together, win together.

This fall, the men’s and women’s basketball teams at CCP have displayed endurance, courage, athleticism and a hunger for victory.

Much is at stake right now, as the Lions are garnering both local and national recognition.

The women (10-3) face off at noon Sunday, Dec. 15, at home against Southern Maine Community College. Southern Maine is a basketball powerhouse, ranked first in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).

The men’s team (12-1), which moved up three spots this week and is now ranked seventh among the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCCA) Division III colleges, faces off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Manor College. Admission is free.

“We are off to a good start,” men’s basketball coach Joe Rome said. “We are pretty talented and athletic. . . The guys seem to be playing well together. They like each other.” Leading scorers include guard Tyreek Johnson, averaging 17 points per game (ppg); forward Cameron Gardner (10.8 ppg) and forward Jordan Smith (10.7 ppg).

Kenyatta McKinney, the head coach for the women’s team, said he has rotated six players for much of the fall, but the women are well-conditioned from workouts in the weight room. Two new promising players are coming on board and will play next semester.

Collectively the CCP women rank first nationwide in their division in terms of total points scored, collecting 997 points. Their pressure defense and athletic skills have taken them to the top of the leaderboards of Division III. CCP forward Cassandra Colon currently is the third-leading scorer, collecting 304 points this season. Teammate Cyanie Hull-Smith ranks sixth in the nation, with 232 points scored. Center Aminata Gackou ranks first in total rebounds (162) and second in blocked shots, averaging 4.2 blocked shots a game.

The talent runs deep on this team. On Nov. 21, guard Elan Wali was named the conference’s Player of the Week, after picking up 19 points, 23 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals and a block against rival Valley Forge. Wali also had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals against Lehigh Carbon in the prior week. On Dec. 11, Colon was named player of the week after foraging 52 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and one block in her last two games.

After some early losses, CCP’s women are riding a five-game winning streak and showing chemistry on the court, McKinney said. “We have a family environment,” he said. “The young ladies care for each other. We want people to come out to see us. They are entertaining and they play hard.”

Athletic director Rogers Glispy said the Lions are living up to their new name — and working hard for their pride.

“Our players are dreaming and both teams have certainly set lofty goals for themselves,” he said. ”I've had the pleasure of witnessing their work over the off season and into this semester. I would call on the entire college community to come out and see these great student-athletes perform as they work towards their goal.”

 On Monday, September 23, 2019, the New York Life Foundation announced a $100,000 grant to Community College of Philadelphia, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance. Grants were awarded to 26 youth development organizations across the country to support middle school youth during the out-of-school time (OST) hours. The grants mark the third year of awards made under the Foundation’s Aim High education initiative, and this year’s grants bring the total awarded under the program to $3.45 million. Afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs nationwide were selected for grants through a competitive application process.

Community College of Philadelphia’s Division of Access and Community Engagement (DACE) will use the funds to establish a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment program focused on robotics and math enrichment for middle school students called STEM College Experience (SCE). This program will serve as an expansion of the long-standing and successful Advanced College Experience (ACE) program.

”The support from the New York Life Foundation will have a profound impact on the children in our community. This support will enable us to strengthen Philly’s K-16 pipeline by expanding STEM opportunities for middle school youth,” said Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia. “We’re beyond grateful and we look forward to putting this generous support to good use.”

“Community College of Philadelphia and our other 25 grantees do vital work in their communities. Middle school is a vulnerable time for students, and without these programs children and youth would be without a safe, productive and enriching place to go after school or during the summer,” said Marlyn Torres, senior program officer, New York Life Foundation

Research has shown that for disadvantaged students, additional learning time in the form of high-quality afterschool, expanded day and summer programs leads to greater academic achievement, better school attendance and more engaged students. Further, a successful transition from 8th to 9th grade – middle school to high school in most cases – is particularly critical to student success.

“We’re delighted to partner with the New York Life Foundation in this effort,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “The Foundation continues to do terrific work in this area, supporting children at a vital time in their development. These grants change lives by supporting OST programs that keep kids safe, inspire learning, and give working parents peace of mind in the afternoon and during the summer.”

In 2017, the first year of the Aim High program, the New York Life Foundation awarded $750,000 to 18 recipients, with grant periods of one or two years. In 2018, the Foundation expanded the program, awarding $1.35 million to 26 additional organizations. This year’s $1.35 million in Aim High grants brings the total amount awarded to $3.45 million, given to 70 organizations, in all. Since 2013, the New York Life Foundation has invested more than $41 million in national middle school OST efforts.

September 15 to October 15 is Latinx Heritage Month in the United States. In observation, Community College of Philadelphia faculty and staff are partnering with prominent Latinx authors, activists, artists and professionals to host a series of on-campus events. From a Latinx Comfort Food Tasting to an Art Exhibit, a Latinx Mentoring program meet-up and multiple seminars, these events will showcase Latinx heritage and narratives, while exploring current events and issues within Latinx communities in Philadelphia and abroad.

On Wednesday, September 25, the College began its celebration with two events: Diversity Dialogue: Puerto Rico Yesterday, Today and the Future; and a Latinx Fireside Chat with Dr. Generals, the College’s president. These seminars surveyed issues surrounding immigration, U.S. foreign policy and climate change, and their effect on Latinx communities in the Americas and its surrounding islands.

Charito Morales, a native Puerto Rican, presented at the Diversity Dialogue. The nurse and community organizer at the Providence Center in Fairhill spent four months in Puerto Rico shortly after Hurricane Maria to help provide disaster relief.

“Houses completely destroyed, people screaming for help, bodies floating in the water… the government wasn’t ready and the United States government was smacking us,” Morales said.

Morales’ presentation connected the dots between the United States’ colonization of Puerto Rico and the island’s struggle to recover in the two years since the hurricane. She reminded audience members that although Puerto Ricans pay federal taxes and serve in the U.S. military, citizens cannot vote in U.S. elections and do not have voting representation in Congress. Morales made it clear that the United States’ colonial rule over Puerto Rico has hindered its attempts at financial stability, growth and reconstruction. 

Morales connected the struggles of Puerto Ricans still living on the island to the 159,400 Boricuas who moved to the United States to escape the devastation.

“New York and Philadelphia have had the second- and third-largest communities relocated [from] Puerto Rico,” she said. “Philadelphia received 1,516 families after Hurricane Maria … 29.1% of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia are living in poverty.”

Morales said her work at the Providence Center enables her to work with Latinx youth to fight for “better access to healthy, high-quality food, clean and beautiful community gardens and parks, and social justice in Fairhill and throughout the city.”

When asked how Philadelphians can help, Gilberto González, a graphic designer in the College’s Marketing and Communications division, who co-hosted the event, suggested that citizens turn to people in their own communities who are trying to make a difference for assistance, rather than toward large, government-run aid groups.

“If you have neighbors that are Puerto Rican, if you work with Puerto Ricans or other people that you’re connected to, talk to them. Because what a lot of us did here in Philadelphia that did not work with [larger aid organizations], was that while they were shipping containers of water, a small group of us were collecting water filters, stuffing suitcases and flying to Puerto Rico and walking through the streets and giving people water filters so they could have rainwater to drink every day. We had solar [powered batteries] too,” Gonzalez said.

Morales continued, “Philly Boricuas, what we did was, we had three planes that we contracted and we sent everything ourselves. We also had funding from Sonia Sotomayor, and she talked to Coca Cola Company and [they] let us use the container ships to [send supplies] to the island of Puerto Rico. That’s how we sent 36 container [ships] to the island of Puerto Rico.”

Latinx Fireside Chat

At his first Fireside Chat of the 2019-2020 school year, Dr. Generals hosted a discussion about the history of the United States’ foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere and the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. He discussed how the U.S. government has contributed to some of the issues that have caused violence and destruction in countries from which U.S.-bound migrants relocate.

Dr. Generals began the conversation by explaining the significance of the Monroe Doctrine; a foreign policy statement issued in 1823, which declared the Americas to be part of the United States’ sphere of influence. A cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy thereafter, it justified American occupation in countries like Nicaragua, Haiti, Panama and Honduras all throughout the 18th and 19 centuries.

Moving on to more recent history, Dr. Generals described how the desire to contain the spread of communism following the success of the Communist Revolution in Cuba led to U.S. interference in countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala. Supporting the violent military dictatorships of the Contras and Carlos Castillo Armas from the 1950s to the 1990s, the CIA and the U.S. contributed to widespread destabilization, and to the murder of many thousands of civilians.

Dr. Generals ended his presentation with a video depicting one of the many rivers in Guatemala that is running dry due to a recently built dam. Climate change has led to the destruction of rivers in Guatemala and has caused the death of local fish species which natives have historically relied upon as food, loss of access to clean drinking water and the death of crops. Dr. Generals spoke about how the indigenous populations everywhere are losing the natural resources that have sustained them for thousands of years.

Afterward, when the President opened the floor for comments, and College staff and students shared their ideas on how we can all make small changes in our own behaviors to combat these issues within our communities.

Paula Umana, director of Single Stop at the College, shared her thoughts on how we can make those who have come to the United States from South and Central America feel more welcome.

“We have this crisis at the border, but we still use language of exclusion and we don’t acknowledge the journey that these groups of folks have to go [on] to make it here,” she said. “Whenever you see someone who looks Central American, or not exactly white American, or African American, don’t say ‘illegal,’ please. Say ‘undocumented.’ Don’t make assumptions that they’re not citizens because they may be citizens. Ask questions without making assumptions, be generous in the love and kindness that you have to offer, and if you don’t know, find things out. The College has tons of resources for students, tons of resources for these communities, there are some resources around the city as well, so we can connect those people and make them feel at home even when they can't be home.”

It’s hard to deter Jamail Khan.

The 20-year-old student at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has excelled, channeling his passionate and competitive spirit into both running for the College's track and field team, and academic studies in the Honors program. Graduating from CCP this past May with an associate degree in Liberal Arts – Honors, Khan received All-America honors for the 2019 NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season and gained admittance into Swarthmore College.

Kahn explained the augmentation of athletics and academics exemplifies the Honors program’s interdisciplinary structure.

“Humans are holistic creatures. We are not made of one thing, but we are an amalgamation of things,” Khan stated. “And so when we do one practice in one department of life, it always seeps into the other.”

While Khan is now a proponent of interdisciplinary education, the practice was not something he fully understood when initially entering the Honors program. On his first day of college, Khan recalled asking if the lecture he had just left was sociology or philosophy. Everyone laughed and said, ‘‘’Don’t worry about that. It's all just one thing.'”

“Over the course of teaching Honors, what we found was it wasn't so much about the material that the students were reading, but how they were approaching the academic work,” said  Dr. Brian D. Seymour, an associate professor in the Art Department and coordinator of the Honors curriculum. “We’re giving them the moves, and basic academic decorum, such that any situation they go into, any major, they'll be better prepared to read, write and speak at a higher level.”

Coordinated by a team of faculty members of varying disciplines, the honors program is a two-semester curriculum within the four semesters for an associate degree. Focused on a holistic process to learning, Seymour explained that Honors program at the College is unique in that students are admitted based on potential, not on past academic performance. The Honors faculty evaluate an individual student’s future promise in the program through an in-person interview.

“The original idea of a community college education is to offer an opportunity, right, an access to education for those who would not otherwise have a pathway to do so,” Seymour explained. “Historically, then, if it is an open-access college, which is what we are, it's antithetical to the idea of an Honors curriculum. [Since], an Honors program already suggests that you're evaluating someone based on their past academic record.”

At any given time, between 150 and 200 students are enrolled in the Honors program at the College.

Through a widened interdisciplinary lens, Khan was able to gain new insights on varying fields, including religion, which he plans to major in at Swarthmore College. Up until CCP, Khan explained his understanding of religion had been limited to an “emic view,” an anthropological term for someone from within the culture.

A Pakistani immigrant, Khan came to America at 14 years old after his father Muhammad Khan, an assistant professor in CCP’s English Department, was accepted as a Fulbright Scholar at University of Pennsylvania.

“When I entered the Honors program, they looked at religion from a completely different perspective,” said Khan, who speaks Urdu as his first language. “It revealed a lot more depth that exists in religion.”

Wrestling with two contrasting cultures—his native Islamic Republic of Pakistan and his current secular country of America—Khan internalized the lessons taught in the classes and applied them to his own life.

“It really shook me up, in my own spiritual journey and beliefs as well as my outward, intellectual understanding of it,” said Khan. “I think what Honors unlocked was my potential to make sense of two very contrasting worlds and societies, and what I could learn from my experiences in both.”

Khan explained that his revelations not only enriched his academic experience, but also his peers’. In group studies, Khan would be quick to provide an Eastern-based perspective to create a more nuanced discourse.

“[Khan] is one of our pride and joys,” said Seymour. “He's really a wonderful model for the other students.”

Khan attributed athletics and its emphasis on teamwork with his ability to work with other students. Concurrently, sports has allowed him to cultivate and harness a competitive spirit that drives him to continuously strive and improve in his academics.

“The competitive nature that I had in running really seeped into my academics, and it pushed me to do better,” Khan said.

At times, Khan explained it was challenging to juggle the Honors course-load of five classes and an athletic schedule of two-hour practices, four times a week. Khan also incurred a number of injuries during his time at the College, such as pulling his IT band during cross country practice, injuring his lower lumbar while dead lifting and suffering from debilitating sports-induced headaches. However, Khan affirmed that athletics ultimately provided him with the balance he needed to be a well-rounded student and a grounding force to refocus after discussing highly abstract concepts and ideas in the Honors program.

In addition to majoring in Religious Studies, Khan plans to minor in Linguistics and participate in athletics at Swarthmore College. Feeling “intellectually, physically and socially prepared,” Khan will enter the top college in the fall with fellow CCP Honors program graduate and Jack Kent Cooke recipient, Anyssa El Manfaa.

“The fact that you have two students going out of the Honors program and, in the bigger picture, Community College of Philadelphia to Swarthmore College, is no small thing,” explained Khan, who received a scholarship to Swarthmore College. “It just speaks to the fact that this really is the path to possibility, the school’s motto.”

Khan’s brother also graduated CCP in May with an associate degree in English and will return in the fall to earn an associate degree in Sound Recording and Music Technology. Khan’s sister, a rising senior at his alma mater of Jenkintown High School, plans on attending CCP after graduation.