BHCC Student Takes Winning Video to Washington D.C.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
April 8, 2010. Boston, MA. Dennis Medina, a Boston police officer attending Bunker Hill Community College, is one of five winners of a video competition for non-traditional students. Medina, along with four other winners, will travel to Washington D.C. in mid-April to meet with federal legislators and policymakers to discuss federal initiatives for helping students complete college.
The five winning videos were chosen from 200 entries in the “Take America to College” nationwide competition. The competition was sponsored by Purple States, a media company that dramatizes what is at stake for the public in policy decisions, in conjunction with Banyan Branch, a media marketing group, and DCTV, a media arts organization that works to expand public access to the electronic media arts. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided funding for the project.
In his video, Medina recounts his repeated efforts to secure a college degree, stating that family responsibilities often got in the way of fulfilling his educational dreams. With a somber, policeman’s voice, his video-story tells of his hopes and struggles: “When I was employed by the Corrections Department I started taking college classes again, but money got tight, and life got in the way. When I moved to the Boston Police Department, I realized that without a college degree I couldn’t further my career. I can only take one or two classes a semester -- night classes, sometimes midnight classes.”
Medina’s video – along with the other winning entries – can be viewed at http://www.takeamericatocollege.com.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of 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. 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).