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 $1 million in service to local communities, while helping to internationalize community colleges in the United States (IndependentSector.org).