The Community College Initiative Program made the news in Chicago print publications. This excerpt about the program and host campus, College of DuPage, comes from an article in The Chicago Tribune.
Fifteen international students are gaining an education that extends far beyond the classroom through the U.S. State Department’s Community College Initiative Program at College of DuPage.
Administered by Northern Virginia Community College, the CCI Program provides underserved and underrepresented students from around the world with full scholarships that cover housing, tuition and a monthly stipend for one academic year of study in community colleges. College of DuPage is part of a consortium that consists of nine community colleges across the country, with COD the only school located in the Midwest.
Now in its third year at COD, the CCI Program consists of academics, volunteer opportunities, professional development opportunities, and educational and cultural excursions. CCI students not only share their diverse cultures with people in the U.S. but also learn about American culture, societies and institutions.
“The program combines higher education with multicultural exchange and international education,” said Nicole Spizzirri, CCI Program Coordinator at COD. “It resonates well with these students because they have a chance to really interact with our faculty and staff. Outside of the classroom, we have faculty, staff and administrators who volunteer as social hosts. This is an incredible cultural exchange. Stereotypes on both sides are taken away as we learn about each other.”
Spizzirri said they seek students who are underserved and underrepresented, and this year’s group comes from such countries as Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, South Africa, Ghana and Colombia.
“It’s a really unique and multi-faceted program, and I love to see how the students grow as persons,” she said.
Read the rest of the article at: The Chicago Tribune or The Daily Herald.