Five BHCC students and one staff member named PIC Achievers
Friday, September 18, 2015
Read about each award winner below:
Kendra Castillio
Student, Bunker Hill Community College
Administrative Aide, Action for Boston Community Development
Kendra is a successful Bunker Hill Community College student pursuing a degree in psychology, an administrative aide at Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), and a mother. Frustrated with her prospects after dropping out of high school following the birth of her baby, Kendra found information online about the BPS-PIC Re-Engagement Center (REC). She decided to check out what the REC had to offer. Shortly after a meeting with a PIC dropout recovery specialist, Kendra started earning course credits through online credit recovery, prepared to pass her MCAS tests, and developed the time management skills she would need to stay on the path to graduation. Today Kendra is a proud graduate of Greater Egleston Community High School and a community college student with a promising future.
Elva Green
Assistant Bursar
Bunker Hill Community College
PIC postsecondary coaches help students overcome a number of obstacles. Elva works with the PIC and other Success Boston coaches to make sure that students have the time necessary to solve financial problems. An especially challenging situation arises when a student is unable to make a payment in time to prevent being dropped from a course. This can happen for a number of reasons – missing a step in the financial aid process, not receiving a scholarship check on time, or experiencing a delay in the approval of a medical insurance waiver. Elva’s support has allowed our coaches to ensure that hundreds of students see the light at the end of the tunnel – and a smile along the way.
Abdullahi Macalin Yuusuf
Graduate, English High School
Student, University of Massachusetts Boston
Abdullahi has been a PIC student since his days at English High School where he worked with his career specialist to secure an internship at State Street Corporation. After graduating in 2009, Abdullahi remained connected to the PIC through his postsecondary coach. Unfortunately, health issues in his family forced him to put his education on the back burner. He could have drifted away from his education entirely, but he worked with his PIC coach to get back on track to earn his associate degree in May. Now Abdullahi has set his sights even higher by enrolling in UMass Boston to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.
Rachel Marshall
Graduate, John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science
Graduate, Just-A-Start Biomedical Careers Program
Student, Bunker Hill Community College
Rachel decided not to go to college right away after graduating from the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in June of 2000. Years later, Rachel realized that she wanted to develop technical skills that could land her a good job. With information she gathered at Boston Career Link, Rachel applied to the Just-A-Start Biomedical Careers Program – a hands-on training program and an active member of the PIC-convened Metro Boston Life Sciences Consortium. Rachel completed her biomedical training program and continued working as an intern at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. This fall, she enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College to pursue an engineering degree. She is staying connected to the SCILS (Skilled Careers in Life Sciences) Initiative by volunteering to mentor the next wave of SCILS participants.
Josue L. Morales
Graduate, East Boston High School, Year Up, and Bunker Hill Community College
Graduate, Northeastern University
Josue was referred to the PIC SkillWorks college navigator in the summer of 2011 while he was a student at Bunker Hill Community College. Semester after semester, he showed commitment and dedication, joining the Phi Theta Kappa Honor International Society and working hard through unemployment. With Support from his college navigator, Josue continued his education at Northeastern University where he graduated this past spring with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Account Management. After commencement, Josue visited family members in his home country of El Salvador. Back in Boston now, he is actively seeking a position to launch his career with assistance from PIC Staff Members.
Glendy Rodriguez
Graduate, Boston Adult Technical Academy
Student, Bunker Hill Community College
Between 2007 and 2012, Glendy attended three different high schools, struggling to balance work and school. In 2012, she decided to stop attending school altogether. A year later, Glendy came to the Re-Engagement Center (REC), wanting to give school one more chance. The REC staff reviewed Glendy’s transcript and determined that she had passed her MCAS tests and needed only four more credits to graduate. Glendy enrolled at the Boston Adult Technical Academy (BATA) online program, but a life-threatening injury knocked her off course. Despite several months of physical therapy, Glendy completed her online courses, graduated from BATA, and accepted a job with Aramark, an important PIC employer. With support from her PIC postsecondary coach, Glendy began her studies at Bunker Hill Community College last week.
Source: Boston PIC 2015 Annual Meeting Agenda, Wednesday, September 16, 2015