Street Named for Bunker Hill Community College Graduate Killed in Afghanistan

Friday, August 5, 2011

Governor Deval L. Patrick has signed legislation to name a street in Salem, Massachusetts, in honor of a Bunker Hill Community College alumnus killed in action in Afghanistan. James A. Ayube, a Salem resident, graduated from Bunker Hill Community College in 2007 with an associate degree in sociology.

Sergeant Ayube, a U.S. Army medic, was killed by a suicide bomber during a combat mission on December 8, 2010.  The street, Sergeant James Ayube Memorial Drive, will commemorate Sergeant Ayube’s service to the nation.  Ayube, 25, was the recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He had served previously in the Iraq War.

Lloyd Sheldon Johnson, a professor in the Behavioral Science Department at the College, remembered Ayube as “a wonderful and sensitive student who had a focus and a force that were infectious.” 

Bunker Hill Community College currently enrolls more than 400 veterans of the U.S. armed forces.  The College offers a seminar geared to the concerns of veterans, and has recently opened a Veterans Center to help student veterans with GI Bill benefits, academics and health services.

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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).