Press Release

Acclaimed Actress and Humanitarian America Ferrera Speaks on February 16, 2012

Friday, February 3, 2012

America Ferrera, the award-winning actress who is best known for her portrayal of Betty Suarez in the hit comedy Ugly Betty, will speak at Bunker Hill Community College on Thursday, February 16, 2012. Ferrera’s role in this TV show landed her some of the highest accolades in the entertainment industry: an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as ALMA and Imagen awards.

Her starring role in Real Women Have Curves resulted in numerous other honors, including a Sundance Jury Award for best actress. Ferrera both starred in and was executive producer of The Dry Land, the story of a soldier returning home to Texas after the war in Iraq, which won the award for Best International Film at the 2010 Edinburgh Film Festival.

Ferrera is also widely known for her humanitarian work.  She has devoted her time to a range of humanitarian organizations, including Save The Children, which promotes education for children in need. For her commitment to educating youth in Mali, she received the 2011 Global Action Award for Childhood Development and Education. 
Ms. Ferrera will speak about how education has helped her achieve success, and the importance of “giving back” to the global community to help those who are less fortunate.

BHCC’s “Compelling Conversations” speaker series has brought renowned authors, artists and activists to its campus. Past speakers have included New York Times writer Gail Collins, civil rights activist Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and award-winning filmmaker and author Michael Moore.

Note: Journalists covering Ms. Ferrera’s talk should contact the Press Office prior to the event.

Media Contact:


About Bunker Hill Community College
Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts, enrolling approximately 18,000 students annually. BHCC has two campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, and a number of other locations throughout the Greater Boston area. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-five percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls nearly 600 international students who come from 94 countries and speak more than 75 languages.