At a time when college credentials are increasing in importance, Community College of Philadelphia is putting students on the fast track to success by launching its new Business – Accelerated program, a focused and shorter path to an associate degree in business. 

Students will be able to combine online and in-person classes in a structured curriculum to finish their studies in 21 months with classes designed for maximum flexibility.

"This is really for students who want a more aggressive timeline," said Dr. Pam Carter, dean of Business and Technology at the College.

Classes for the first cohort begin Sept. 4. Students can  apply for the program by contacting Ms. Ruqayyah Archie at 215-751-8056 or rarchie [at] ccp.edu (rarchie[at]ccp[dot]edu). A free, evening information session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 14 at 6 p.m., at the Northwest Regional Center at 1300 West Godfrey Avenue. For more information, call 215-751-8414.

"To me the most exciting part is that we designed it, so it really supports the working adult," said Dr. Carter, who can relate to the students' experiences because she earned her undergraduate degree while working. "We've tried to think of everything that could best support the working adult."

What makes Business - Accelerated unique is its combination of seven-week and four-week classes. The seven-week classes are entirely online, allowing working students to complete assignments on their schedules, while the four-week courses meet on Saturday, with online assignments during the week.

Carter also said the structured nature of the program makes course work easier to predict, so students can schedule accordingly. Class meeting days don't vary from semester to semester. The program has been calibrated to allow seamless transfer to business programs at the College's four-year partner schools, including Peirce College and Temple and Drexel Universities.

Students will be able to meet with a support navigator during Saturday sessions who can connect them to campus services, including tutoring, financial counseling as well as counseling and advising. 

Students also enroll as a cohort and move through the 21 months together, providing support. Research shows that cohort learning is more conducive to student success, particularly for adult learners. 

Nykko Vitali will soon be buried in books at the University of Pennsylvania, studying psychology and cognitive science, up to the challenge after graduating in May from Community College of Philadelphia with an associate degree in Psychology and a 4.0 grade point average.

But during the summer, he was Caleb, the fictional newly-appointed editor of a student newspaper, playing a lead role in Strange College, the first-ever fictional television series to be shown on CCPTV. In the role of Caleb, he’s busy uncovering why a torrid affair between two faculty members has the campus in an uproar. And, by the way, what happened to that cadaver that used to be stored in the biology lab.

Over the spring and summer, 30 to 40 students, alumni, faculty and staff served as actors and crew as scenes were filmed around the Main Campus. The production created quite a buzz as crowds often gathered to gawk and get a sneak peek.

The series stems from a year-long collaboration between Allan Kobernick, director of Multimedia Services and producer of CCPTV, and Dr. Frank Fritz, assistant professor of English, and the author of the script, a blend of sci-fi, alternate reality, thriller and mystery. The first two of 10 episodes will air this fall on the College's 24-hour television channel (Comcast Channel 53, Verizon Fios Channel 21). 

At a recent shoot, Kobernick guided Vitali and admissions recruiter Joseph Corso, who plays an administrator, endlessly through a short scene. The scene took two minutes. The shoot took nearly two hours. Every detail mattered. Parts of the scene had been shot earlier, so Corso needed to wear the same clothes, carry the same clipboard and even make sure the writing on documents look the same, and official. "I want the production values to be extremely high," Kobernick said. "I don't want it to feel like a student play. I want it to feel like a television show you'd watch on any network."

Fritz also sees it as a way to expand the student learning experience. Moving forward, he hopes to model a class on the “writers’ rooms” used in Hollywood, such as the one on the television sitcom, 30 Rock. Students would brainstorm and draft episodes of Strange College. “They could share the magic of creating this universe,” Fritz said. “TV shows are really a communal construction.”

The push to perfection matters for Vitali, who says his participation will help him at Penn. "The social cohesiveness that you build with other people, the need to be flexible, these are traits that will translate anywhere in life, including at Penn." Vitali said he had been a bit of an introvert, but Strange College brought him out of his shell, which will also help at Penn. He'll continue to return to the College to play his role.

Kobernick agrees. Besides just being fun and weird. "I think a project that involves people on all levels of the college is a morale booster," he said. "It energizes people to be working on something interesting. "

Kobernick also hopes Strange College will draw more attention to CCPTV. Students and staff produce 90 percent of the content, including the Emmy-nominated Drop the Mic, Car Corner, The Chefs Cook, Show Off -- the Student Quiz Show, Yoga and Entre Nosotros.

Besides being nominated for several Emmys, CCPTV has earned 64 awards since 2011.

"My goal is to bring something to the Philadelphia community that is unique to the College," Kobernick said. "When they are watching CCPTV, people are watching what they can only get here. When we do this, with all these people, what we're delivering to the community is us. The cool us."

This summer, 16 graduates were recognized and awarded for their hard work and program completion at the 43^rd Annual Diagnostic Medical Imaging Program Pinning Ceremony.

Clauja Rodriques, now an alumna, stood proudly in the lobby of the Bonnell Building with friends and family, excited about the next chapter of her life. She is looking forward to securing a position with Jefferson or Lankenau Hospital as a diagnostic medical imaging technician.

Rodriques said she enrolled in the DMI program because of its affordability and convenient location. Graduates either will seek employment in hospitals, urgent care facilities or at other health care sites or continue their education at 4-year universities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, positions for Diagnostic Medical Imaging Technicians are expected to grow 13 percent between 2016 and 2026 with a median annual wage of $58,440. Technologists who graduate from accredited programs and those with multiple certifications will have the best job prospects.

The DMI program is one of the College’s top-ranked health care programs. “You have acquired the expertise that will make you successful in your field as a technologist, and your time management, communication and critical thinking skills will make you an efficient member of a health care team,” Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of the College, told graduates.

 “Student success begins with an outstanding faculty who have the skills and knowledge needed for today’s rapidly changing workplaces,” he added.

One hundred percent of the program's graduates between 2004 and 2018 passed the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists Radiography examination on the first attempt. Graduates of 2018 are now certified, and on the path to attaining employment.

Dr. Generals expressed his appreciation for Rebecca Peterson, coordinator of the DMI program, and Mary Tartaglione, the DMI curriculum coordinator, who, along with the entire DMI faculty, have prepared students to meet the demands of today's employers.  He also congratulated students for their persistence and notable achievements.

“Each graduate has committed everything to this program, to their goals and dreams, and to their future,”class speaker Grace Deissroth remarked.

The industrial sewing machines that clattered in two once-bustling Kensington textile factories are silent now.

However, these days, thanks to a partnership between Goldman Sachs, the City of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia and Shift Capital LLC, hope, jobs and opportunity are being manufactured in a building at 3401 I Street in one of the city’s hardest-pressed neighborhoods.

A few blocks away, opioid addicts shuffle along Kensington Avenue. Inside the former factories, now known as MaKen Studios, 60 to 70 new businesses have taken space, employing more than 190 people.

And on Wednesday, those successes were cause for celebration at MaKen, over samples of chocolate sea salt and blueberry lemonade ice cream manufactured in the factory by one of the 428 business owners who have benefited from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses-Greater Philadelphia, a program that began at the College in 2013 and is giving rise to a new class of highly-skilled entrepreneurs.

Several of those 10,000 Small Businesses graduates have set up shop in the MaKen North and South buildings. Each has increased business revenues and added new jobs.

This neighborhood needs all the support it can get. The more jobs we create here, the more it can save lives,” Mayor Jim Kenney said, after operating a batch freezer to produce a tub of pink-hued birch beer vanilla bean ice cream. “No matter how low we go, there’s always hope and an opportunity to bring the neighborhood back, thanks to Goldman Sachs, Community College and the (Philadelphia) Commerce Department.”

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an ongoing investment by the leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm designed to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital and business support services.

“Beyond increasing revenues, it’s about hiring people,” said Dr. Donald Guy Generals, the College’s president, who spoke to the group gathered among freezers and mixers at Little Baby’s.

Graduates not only achieve, but they have “come together as alumni to raise money” for the College’s scholarship fund providing tuition-free college to qualified graduates of Philadelphia high schools, Dr. Generals said.

The celebration (and the ice cream) drew supporters and alumni to MaKen.

Among the supporters were U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who has had 180 businesses in his district participate in 10,000 Small Businesses; Nicole Pullen Ross, managing director, Mid-Atlantic Region, Private Wealth Management, of Goldman Sachs, and Harold Epps, director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia.

Alumni included Ken Carter, president and chief operating officer of SUPRA Office Solutions Inc., architect Richard Olaya, of Olaya Studio, and Dr. Cassandra Jones, of Next Step Associates LLC, all from Philadelphia, with graduates drawn from all 10 City Council districts. Many alumni do business with each other. For example, Olaya assisted with the design as Little Baby’s renovated its new space.

Jones said the 10,000 Small Businesses program made a real difference for her business. Other business programs, she said, send you out with “a business plan that sits on your desk. Goldman Sachs gives you a program you use every day. It’s focused on growth and accountability.” In her case, she hired a vice president of Business Development and an administrative assistant so she could focus on her expertise, which is providing top-notch training for adults in the workplace.

Little Baby’s Martin Brown said the program helped guide him and his partner through an expansion of their grocery business. They used to stock their premium ice cream in a few local food cooperatives and five nearby Whole Food stores. Soon they’ll supply 50 Whole Food stores in partnership with a dairy in central Pennsylvania.

“That was definitely a challenge and a new wheel house for us,” said Brown, who graduated from the program in 2014. Since then, revenues have doubled and should reach $1 million by year end. Hiring has also increased from two to six fulltime employees. When Little Baby’s opens its fifth storefront later in August, total payroll will top 50.

The 10,000 Small Businesses program makes the businesses better tenants and negotiators, according to Matthew Grande, a principle at Shift Capital, the building’s developer. He says he leads prospective Shift employees on tours of the neighborhood to build bridges to the community and the firm is engaged in conversations about shared community growth.

“Our biggest challenge is the maturity level of individuals’ business,” Grande said. The 10,000 Small Businesses graduates come with realistic ideas of what they need and how much it will cost, for example, to build out an ice cream manufacturing plant.  The program’s business advisors meet weekly with participants to coach them on negotiating, finance and growth strategies.

Besides assisting individual business owners, Goldman Sachs also provided a pivotal $7 million loan in partnership with Shift Capital which helped finance the $60 million deal to buy and upgrade the buildings.

Candidates for the 10,000 Small Businesses program are accepted on a rolling basis at Community College of Philadelphia. The program is open to business owners from across the Greater Philadelphia region. Learn more.

Power-Up Grad and Baker competes on Netflix show, "Sugar Rush"

Imagine having your business on a television series that would seen by millions.

That's what happened to baker and cake decorator Jennifer Low, owner of the Frosted Fox Cake Shop in Philadelphia's Mt. Airy neighborhood. Low competed on Netflix's newest cake decorating reality show, Sugar Rush, released July 13.

Great opportunity, but, for business owners, the key to having an opportunity is knowing how to take advantage of it, said Low, a recent graduate of Community College of Philadelphia’s Power Up Your Business small business development program.

"That was hammered into us at Power Up—seizing the opportunity when it's handed to you," she said.

Funded by the city of Philadelphia, Power Up, a free program run by the Community College of Philadelphia, teaches business know-how to entrepreneurs. Using a peer-to-peer learning model, business owners, aided by seasoned experts, create tactical plans for growth and hiring. What they learn helps their businesses, their neighborhoods and the city.

"We are excited for Jennifer and the opportunity she has to use the tools and resources from Power Up to promote her business," said Pearl Wang-Herrera, director of Power Up Your Business at Community College of Philadelphia.

Low credits Power Up “with a real shift in my mentality. I used to be someone who likes to decorate cakes," she said. "Now I understand that my job is not just to decorate cakes, but to run a cake decoration business." Low hired a dishwasher and a store clerk for her bakery so she could focus on running her business and decorating cakes, instead of scrubbing pans and ringing up brownies.

In 2017, Low and Peri Anderson, who owns Brooklyn Girl Bakery in Phoenixville, teamed up to apply to audition for Netflix's Sugar Rush. The two had worked together at the Night Kitchen Bakery in Chestnut Hill prior to starting their own businesses.

After many interviews on the phone and via Skype, they were selected and flown to Los Angeles to film the series. In each episode, four teams of bakers and decorators compete in three elimination rounds. Winner of the last round, the Cake Challenge, takes home $10,000. Low and Anderson did well in Episode Three, which had a "Holiday Celebrations" theme.

"It was very nerve-wracking," Low said. "You are under timed pressure and if things aren't working out, you have to make quick decisions." She said the production crew did everything possible to make them comfortable and not ratchet up the drama.

"We did that on our own," she laughed.

The filming took place before Low enrolled in Power Up, but the episodes were released after she had graduated, having learned many lessons in promotion and branding. On the night the episodes debuted, for example, Low held a watch party and made the desserts on the show for family, friends and major customers. Since then, she's been talking it up on social media.

"You have to be on the ball and promote," Low said. "Power Up stressed the importance of visibility and getting your business out there."

About Power Up Your Business

Since Power Up began in 2017, 80 businesses in all 10 City Council districts and in 26 zip codes have graduated in five cohorts, with classes held at the College's main campus and regional locations. Of the participating businesses, 84 percent are minority owned and 71 percent are owned by women. Registration for the next cohort ends July 28, with classes set to begin September 5 on Main Campus, 1700 Spring Garden Street. Individual workshops on business topics will be held in the fall at the College’s West Regional Center, 4725 Chestnut Street. For more information, visit Power Up’s website, email powerup [at] ccp.edu or call 215.496.6151.

A paint gallery, a bakery, a beauty salon, an eyeglass store, a craft tea business and a handcraft studio – block by block, owners of these nearby businesses, all graduates of Power Up Your Business, a small business development program, are building a stronger community along Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. 

Together, on one Philadelphia street, they provide a textbook case of how knowledgeable entrepreneurs can expand their businesses, growing jobs and sustaining neighborhoods along commercial corridors. Germantown Avenue, one of Philadelphia’s major arteries, threads for miles through some of the city’s wealthiest – and most distressed – neighborhoods. 

"I think Power Up has a real presence on the corridor," said Sarajane Blair, managing director of Mt. Airy USA, an organization founded in 1980 by Mount Airy residents who had tired of blighted and dilapidated buildings on the Germantown Avenue business corridor.  "They are engaging in a culture of learning.”

Power Up, a free program run by the Community College of Philadelphia, teaches business know-how to entrepreneurs. Using a peer-to-peer learning model, business owners, aided by seasoned experts, create tactical plans for growth and hiring. What they learn helps their businesses, their neighborhoods and the city.

“These corridors are an essential part of the fabric of Philadelphia…,” Mayor James Kenney said in announcing a community improvement program. “As the neighborhood business corridor goes, so goes the neighborhood…When the neighborhood business corridor is strong, it’s safer, there are more people working, there’s more of a community feel in the neighborhood.”

In Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood, nine blocks of Germantown Avenue hold six Power Up graduate businesses with more in nearby Chestnut Hill and Germantown. In Germantown, Power Up graduate Nenah Bah’s Soukundo Natural Hair Salon is practically in the shadow of a Power Up billboard. Pictured on it are Heather Hutchison Harris, owner of Handcraft Workshop sewing studio in Mount Airy, and Desmin and Jania Daniels of Germantown’s Rose Petals Café and Lounge.

“Commercial corridors are the modern Main Streets of their communities - they represent growth of both economic and social capital,” said Maura Shenker, director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center. “Collaboration is key.” In Mount Airy, Power Up graduates become leaders, taking on important roles in local business organizations.

And so, when Moneek Pines, owner of Artrageous Brush & Flow, a paint party studio and gallery, needs a cake, she turns to Jennifer Low, whose artisan bakery, The Frosted Fox Cake Shop, is a block away on Germantown Avenue. The bakery stocks tea produced by Michael O'Brien's Craft Tea business, just off the Avenue.  Pines bought glasses from Kennard Herring, owner of Nostalgic Eye Care, whose store is nearby, and Herring has lifted a brush at Artrageous' painting events.

One of the city’s youngest entrepreneurs, Power Up graduate Tianna Valentine, now 22, opened her beauty parlor, Salon Style and Grace, at age 18. And when Mount Airy had a festival, Handcraft Workshop’s owner brought sewing machines outside for demonstrations.    

Low, a competitor on Netflix’s “Sugar Rush” reality baking show, credits Power Up “with a real shift in my mentality. I used to be someone who likes to decorate cakes," she said. "Now I understand that my job is not just to decorate cakes, but to run a cake decoration business." Low hired a dishwasher and a store clerk so she could focus on running her business and decorating cakes, instead of scrubbing pans and ringing up brownies.

A report by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City found that if small businesses hired just one to three more employees, there would be enough work for all jobless inner-city residents.

"I'm such a nontraditional business owner. I'm an artist," said Pines, who also runs Artrageous Kids Child Care, located nearby. "I felt Power Up was going to give me all the business skills I needed to be successful."

Since Power Up began in 2017, 80 businesses in all 10 City Council districts and in 26 zip codes have graduated in five cohorts, with classes held at the College's main campus and regional locations. Of the participating businesses, 84 percent are minority owned and 71 percent are owned by women. Registration for the next cohort ends July 28, with classes set to begin September 5 on Main Campus, 1700 Spring Garden Street.  Individual workshops on business topics will be held in the fall at the College’s West Regional Center, 4725 Chestnut Street. For more information, email powerup [at] ccp.edu (powerup[at]ccp[dot]edu) or call 215.496.6151.

Hazim Hardeman, a kid from North Philly, a Rhodes Scholar and a Community College of Philadelphia alumnus, had a message for the city as he spoke at the College’s 52nd Commencement at The Liacouras Center on May 5: "Many of you are the first in your family to attend college, others of you are the first to graduate. And there’s a particular lure about being a first, the stroke of the ego, the feeling that you’ve been able to accomplish something that others before you couldn’t," Hazim, the College's Commencement speaker, told the students, families and friends of the Class of 2018.

"But we should never mistake our being first, for being the first that were worthy," he cautioned. "Because if we’re being honest, it is through the paths that others before us have traveled, that ours have been made easier to traverse.”

Hazim is the first Rhodes Scholar from the College and Temple University.

Listening from the front row were six high school students from MaST Community Charter School who were about to graduate from college before they finished high school. Also in the Class of 2018 were six employees from the College, 54 veterans and 26 international students representing 16 countries. There were a total of 1,885 candidates for degrees and certificates this year.

Troy Bundy, two-time president of the College’s Student Government Association, served as the student speaker for Commencement.

Hardeman grew up just a few blocks from The Liacouras Center and began his speech by crediting his neighborhood, “I always mention that I’m just a kid from North Philly (and I say this not only because North Philadelphians are the coolest people in the world), but because I want to suggest that I’m no different than anybody else that comes from where I come from," he said.

"If I have done things that are extraordinary, it is not because I’m inherently special," he said, "but rather, it is a product of the opportunity I’ve been given.”

Hazim’s academic journey has taken him from 23rd and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia to the University of Oxford, where he is the recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious international academic awards available. The scholarship provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford, where Hardeman will pursue a master’s degree.

During his speech, Hazim paid tribute to his mother, Gwendolyn, who made certain he and his siblings had access to quality education.

He also acknowledged a teacher who continued to believe in him even when he was not showing up for classes or performing well.

“I can specifically remember one moment that, in retrospect, probably saved my life. I was given a book by my English teacher, “Tyrell” by Coe Booth, about a young black boy trying to navigate the trials of adolescence while dealing with a challenging family situation," Hazim said. "I’m not sure how this teacher knew that I needed that book at that moment in my life, considering I never went to class. But I did. The book spoke to me. It resonated with me as I saw myself reflected in its pages. It let me know I wasn’t alone in the world.

He urged the graduates to make certain opportunity is available to those coming behind them.

"So, while here at the Community College of Philadelphia we talk about the path to possibilities, today what I want us to consider is our path as a possibility," Hazim said.

 “As you take the next steps in your journey," he said, "I want you, along the way, to consider your path as possibility, not only in your thoughts but in your actions, which means as you walk through doors, don’t close them behind you; leave them open for the next person to walk through, and for the person after them to tear them down."

Like Hazim, student speaker Troy, the 2018 winner of the Jerry Mondesire Impact Award at the College, was also a "first," the first in his family on the path to college graduation. "You too may have not understood fully where that path would lead," he said. "But with the help and leadership of our Community College of Philadelphia's administration, faculty and staff, our path became brighter and brighter each day, and our destination more sure."

When it comes to cleaning, Jonathan Williams, 21, has one piece of advice:  "Work smarter, not harder."

He takes his own advice—almost. That's because Jonathan, who works smart, also works hard.

Jonathan runs his own professional cleaning business, Chestnut Hill Cleaning Co., which he started while only a junior at Central High School. He just finished up his last semester at the College, graduating on May 5 with an Associate in Arts degree in Business.

If taking college classes and running a business doesn’t sound hectic enough, each Thursday, Jonathan mentors 15 to 20 middle-school students in business through a nonprofit he started, the "Sky is the Limit Entrepreneurial Program."

Working hard comes naturally to him. The working smart part comes in Jonathan's ability to utilize the lessons he learned through his course work at the College and through attending "Power Up Your Business," the College's neighborhood-based training and peer-learning program for small businesses like the one Jonathan currently runs in Chestnut Hill.

"When I was 16 and starting my own business, I didn't have any mentors," he said. "I just wanted to find a way to make money."

The Power Up program, which he attended at the Northwest Regional Center, helped him understand the fundamentals of branding. "I do a lot of personal marketing," Williams said, so he appreciates the opportunity to understand and perfect his elevator pitch, a 60-second spiel about his business. "It's a creative way to catch people very quickly."

Dr. Donald Guy Generals said the College community congratulates Jonathan for his work in class and in his neighborhood. “Small businesses like Jonathan’s serve to stabilize commercial corridors and increase the vitality and livability of Philadelphia. He’s a job creator, and he’s not yet out of college.”

On campus, business instructor Jerel Ruttenberg's advice has resonated with Jonathan. Ruttenberg and Jonathan's mother, Jasime Williams, sat in the VIP box at commencement, waiting for Jonathan's moment to cross the stage.

"He was emotionally supportive," Jonathan said of Ruttenberg. "I was going through a rough time and he was there." But Jonathan, the business man, doesn't linger long with emotions. He credits Ruttenberg with helping him learn how to price his services so that people from his Chestnut Hill neighborhood knew he had a serious business and "wasn't just a kid shoveling snow."

For his part, Ruttenberg said he "thinks the world of Jonathan. He had his head on straight and he really knew what he wanted to do. Most kids at 18 years of age, the future is lunch, but he had his eye on the ball. He wanted to grow his business and he just needed some guidance."

Jonathan pointed out that many of his former classmates at Central are now finishing their four-year degrees, while he nearly didn't graduate from the College. "I had to take a year off from school," he said. "If I wanted to build my business, I had to work at it full time." Now his profitable business keeps five independent contractors busy cleaning churches, schools and businesses, mostly in the Chestnut Hill area. He landed one of his clients, a barber, after meeting him in the Power Up program they both attended in May 2017.

"He's a great cleaner," said Shaun Miller, the Power Up graduate who runs The Art Shop, a combination barbershop and art gallery in Chestnut Hill.

Jonathan isn't sure whether he'll continue his studies. At this point, he feels that knowledge he gained at the College and through Power Up, plus the mentoring and connections he makes through the Chestnut Hill Business Association, provide the networks needed to take his company to the next level. "I'm planning on continuing my business and figuring out school slowly," he said. "I feel like I learn a lot more from business mentors than from being in a classroom."

There's one thing that's certain: "I don't want to work for anybody in my whole life," he said. Ultimately, Jonathan aims to run an international conglomerate. "I want to be the first trillionaire," he said. "No one else has done it, so why can't I?"

Margaret Stephens, associate professor of Social Science, teaches environmental conservation and geography, connecting lessons in the classroom to issues within the city.

The approach, called service-learning, fosters a sense of ownership in students and gives them a role in bettering society.

When State Representative Donna Bullock and a panel of environmental leaders from across the city came to the College’s Main Campus on March 20, 2018, to discuss green jobs and ways to combat environmental injustice, Stephens’ class was in the room soaking in the differing views and learning strategies.

Tykee James, a legislative assistant for Rep. Bullock and co-coordinator of the event, said he was especially excited to see the sea of new faces in the crowd.

“Normally when I do these kind of environmental events across the city of Philadelphia, a lot of the people that I see are a lot of the people that I have seen—they work in this industry or they’ve already been an established advocate,” says James. “There’s no up and comer, there’s no sprouts. And so I want to see what I can do to help develop this new generation. It’s part of the principle of lifting as we climb.”

Many of the students in Professor Stephens’ environmental conservation class expressed a genuine interest in the topic and a desire to have an impact.

Kamise Rodriguez, a sophomore preparing to graduate on May 5 with an associate degree Culinary Arts, hopes to find a way to address the issue of food waste in the restaurant industry. Events like this, she says, provide yet another opportunity outside of the classroom to get started.

"College-aged students are interested in the environment, but they don't always know how to connect, what avenues are out there, and what can be done. So, I do think it's important for the College to provide that [message of]: here's what you can do on a local level to make a difference,” she says.

Samantha Thompson, a Paralegal Studies major, is passionate about what she identifies as the deterioration of biodiversity. Through the required service-learning project in Stephens’ class, she had the opportunity to volunteer at the 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show. The experience was an exciting one that deepened her knowledge of vegetation.

"I want to address this environmental issue with everybody, not just within the school. So [through service-learning] I'm getting [to do] both,” says Thompson.

She adds that Stephens’ class, and access to events like the Environmental Justice Panel event, offer more than a fundamental understanding of science.

"A lot of times...when [people] think about environmental science, they think of statistics, carbon—the scientific side of it. But they don’t understand the political, economic, or communal side of it. And that's really important to address, that way more people can get involved."

For Jym Baker, a soon-to-be graduate who is among the city’s legions of returning citizens, his strong desire to empower others and build a sense of shared community led him to check out the event. He also had hoped to learn more about the green jobs, which were promoted at the table manned by staff from Career Connections.

"I was real excited about the event because of the information at the tables. I took it back to my agency, which is The Center for Carceral Communities,” says Baker, who is a mentor and co-facilitator at the center.

He said he was able to connect there with Solar States, a Certified B-Corporation founded in 2008 “with a dual mission to install solar and educate the next generation.” He hopes his new connection will help. 

"Me being an unconventional student in my 50s... it's given me a sense of worth—to find these things out,” says Baker. “A lot of [which is learning] how to navigate through the academic and social aspect of college, so this is some cool stuff!"

Troy Bundy, a father and husband who leads the Community College of Philadelphia's Student Government Association, and Coby Dulitzki, a business owner and biomedical sciences major who dreams of becoming a doctor, have been honored as two of the state's top community college students for their scholarly achievements and community involvement.

Bundy and Dulitzki, members of the 2018 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, were honored April 9th in Harrisburg by the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the largest and most prestigious honor society for community college students. Forty-six students from across the state were recognized.

Both men are among the members of the College’s Class of 2018, which will graduate at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 5, 2018 at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad Street.  

Bundy, 50, who holds a 3.88 grade point average, will graduate from Community College of Philadelphia with a degree in Behavioral Health and Human Services. He plans to transfer to West Chester University with aspirations to earn a master's degree in social work.

"In my new life, I work extra hard for the positive reward of helping others," said Bundy, who draws on his experience as a former addict to counsel individuals in addiction recovery. "I think I've had a good impact on students here. They ask for my suggestions and talk to me about their personal and academic lives."

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, Bundy is a father, husband, grandfather and son who takes care of two family members. He attributes his success to his college professors and to the site administrator at the College's West Regional Center, who urged Bundy to run for student government.

"I always thought of myself as a follower, not a leader," he said. "To my surprise, I had a lot of leadership qualities that I did not realize."

As a two-term president of the Student Government Association, Bundy earned the Association's Outstanding Service Award.  He also received the My Brother's Keeper Award from the College's Center for Male Engagement, where he serves as a mentor to help young men accomplish their academic goals. College President Donald Guy Generals recognized Bundy, a work-study student, for his efforts in establishing the College's food pantry which assists food-insecure students.

Dulitzki, 25, works with the Baltimore Avenue Business Association of West Philadelphia when he is not in classes. His story is one of grit and perseverance as he started his massage company to help him to pay for a college education. At one point, he found himself homeless.

"Attending community college has allowed me to progress in my degree... while taking on many other roles in the City. I created, own and maintain a thriving massage practice, serve on the board of the Baltimore Avenue Business Association, [and] teach at the Philadelphia School of Massage and Bodywork. Being able to excel in all these roles is due to the flexibility and accessibility offered by a community college education," he said.

Dulitzki majors in the biological and biomedical sciences and maintains a 3.94 grade point average. He plans to transfer to a four-year college with the goal of promoting wellness practices in healthcare as an osteopathic medical physician with a master's degree in public health.

"Given my intention and abilities, I would make the greatest impact by positively influencing our public health policy as a physician in a way that promotes access to health and wellness education," he said.

His belief in wellness was evident on campus where Dulitzki organized events exposing his fellow students to yoga, Qi Gong, and massage therapy, "all of which were almost entirely new to nearly everyone in attendance," he said. He is also working on a patent for an ergonomic design to resolve a common pattern of symptoms he noticed in his clients.  

At the College, Dulitzki is a contributor, organizing Facebook groups for each class, "because I've learned that especially higher-level sciences require a collaborative process." And on Baltimore Avenue, he has learned to help himself and his business, Live Vitality Massage, while also helping others through the Business Association, where he serves as membership director.

For consideration to the statewide academic team, students must serve their communities and maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average. Team members are eligible for scholarships that fund up to two years of tuition in a baccalaureate program at any of the state system's 14 colleges.