Community Colleges Shine Bright on Student Advocacy Day

Student Advocacy Day draws hundreds of community college students to Annapolis

An estimated 300 students from Maryland’s 16 community colleges came together in Annapolis on Tuesday morning for Community College Student Advocacy Day, an annual event where students meet with their local elected representatives to advocate for strong state support of community colleges. The event is organized by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC).

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Photo courtesy of MACC

According to a press release:

During the event, students welcomed Senators Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), Cory McCray (D-Baltimore City), Douglas Peters (D-Prince George’s), Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City), Ronald Young (D-Frederick), and Delegate Ken Kerr (D-Frederick), some of whom shared stories of their time as community college students and professors.

Student speaker, Crystal Brinson, student government president at Wor-Wic Community College, drew applause from the crowd when she described overcoming the challenges of returning to college as the mother of five. Ms. Brinson will earn her Associate degree this spring, the same month her son graduates from high school.

After the speakers finished, all 300 community college students posed for a group photo, and then broke into smaller groups by college to take some less formal pictures with their presidents.

“Emerging technologies and a global economy are quickly changing the workforce, but community colleges can help Marylanders keep up,” said Dr. Bernie Sadusky, Executive Director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC). “We teach the skills Maryland’s employers need today in careers that pay middle class wages.”

Community colleges prepare students for middle skills careers, those that require training and education beyond high school, but not a four-year degree. Maryland’s 16 community colleges offer a wide variety of Associate degrees, career certificates and license programs for middle class careers.

The Maryland Association of Community Colleges is an advocate for the state’s 16 community colleges and the educational needs of their almost half million students. The MACC WorkSmart initiative offers customized workforce training to employers. For more information, please visit www.mdacc.org or call (410) 974-8117.

Read the full press release for more information.