Bunker Hill Community College Hosts International Exchange Students Through U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative Program
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is pleased to welcome 12 international exchange students to its Charlestown Campus for the 2018-2019 academic year as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative (CCI) Program. The students will study Entrepreneurship, Administrative Support Specialist, Early Childhood Education and Computer Support Specialist.
Administered by Northern Virginia Community College on behalf of the Community College Consortium, the CCI Program will provide 146 participants from underserved communities with training in workforce development fields at nine U.S. community colleges in eight states. This year, CCI participants studying at BHCC are from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, India and Indonesia.
Designed to build participants’ technical skills, enhance leadership capabilities and strengthen English language proficiency, students participate in a one-year non-degree academic program and have the opportunity to participate in professional internships, service learning and community engagement activities to forge relationships with citizens of the United States and other countries.
Participants return home with a deeper understanding of U.S. culture and with improved technical and vocational skills to contribute to the economic development of their home communities. Since 2007, the CCI Program has hosted more than 2,900 participants from 21 countries. In 2017-2018, CCI participants contributed nearly $1M in service to local communities, while helping to internationalize community colleges in the United States (IndependentSector.org).
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).