Newsroom
April 29, 2026
Driven by research: Melek Ercan
After Community College of Philadelphia’s Commencement Ceremony on May 2, Biology student Melek Ercan has big plans. To start, she will be participating in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP), a highly competitive summer research program. She has also applied to Princeton University and is awaiting a response.
April 29, 2026
2026 Commencement Speaker: Jessica Dobney
Graduating with highest honors, Jessica Dobney is a full-time Criminal Justice student, a contributor to the Vanguard student newspaper, a Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society member, a student delegate and alternate for several committees on CCP’s Student Government Association and works a full-time job at McDonald’s. She is also an intern for the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management, in partnership with the College's City College for Municipal Employment program. In the little free time she has, Jessica volunteers with CCP, at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and with Drexel University, assisting with Narcan research. Jessica’s involvement has made her a known name and face on campus and this year, she is proud to be selected as the student speaker at CCP’s 60th Commencement ceremony.
April 29, 2026
Combining Education and Service – Jessiyah Taylor, Catto Scholar
Earning a degree in Business Leadership, Jessiyah Taylor didn’t consider higher education at first, but she arrived at CCP after hearing about the College from her friends.
April 29, 2026
Finding Her Breath: Indeea Fields’ Path to Respiratory Therapy
Indeea Fields found herself at CCP after first attending Albright College for Early Childhood Education. “I felt like I just kind of went just so I could say I was doing something,” she said. “And then I came home, took a year off and just started doing like random [prerequisites] for Health Care studies.” During her first year at CCP, her nine- month-old niece came down with RSV, giving Indeea her first peek inside the world of respiratory therapy. Now, Indeea is graduating from the College and heading off to take her board exams and become a practicing respiratory therapist.
April 27, 2026
CCP Honors 60 Years with a Historic Exhibition
On March 31, Community College of Philadelphia held an opening reception for a 60th anniversary exhibition honoring important history and milestones from the last six decades as an institution. The event was held in the Library and Learning Commons where guests mingled, enjoyed light refreshments and perused a collection of historical photographs, memorabilia, commercials and more. In attendance at the event were current and retired faculty and staff, as well as alumni, board members, and other friends of the College.
April 24, 2026
Doors Are Opening: Destiny Russell’s CCP Story
When Destiny Russell first started at Community College of Philadelphia, she wasn’t certain what kind of career she wanted to pursue, so she enrolled in the Liberal Arts program to give herself time to explore her options. Now, she is graduating and in the running to receive a generous scholarship toward a bachelor’s degree from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
April 24, 2026
Graduating Student Wins Scribe Mediamaker Award
Lakiysha "Kesha" Tilghman, a graduating Digital Video Production student, originally became interested in audio/visual management through her church. After realizing the church needed support in this area, she stepped up and took responsibility herself. Now, she’s working on her own original documentary project thanks to an award from the Scribe Video Center’s Philadelphia Student Mediamaker Fund which gives qualifying students $1,000 to support the production of a documentary.
April 24, 2026
Met with Confetti: Dual Enrollment Jules Lee Student Receives Full Ride to Swarthmore
Julian “Jules” Lees decided to dual enroll at Community College of Phialdelphia as a high school student because he was looking for more of an academic challenge. Getting a head start on earning college credits also appealed to Jules, but his biggest priority was broadening the depth of his knowledge. He never expected that all that hard work would eventually lead to the incredible opportunity of free college for his next academic endeavor. This spring, Jules will graduate from high school not only with a diploma, but with an associate degree in Health Care Studies and a full-ride scholarship to Swarthmore College, thanks to QuestBridge, a National College Match program that gives students who excel academically an opportunity to attend one of the nation’s top institutions for free, despite their financial hardship.
April 24, 2026
From Dual Enrollment to the Ivy League: Mariafernanda Herrera’s Journey
Mariafernanda Herrera is a CCP Dual Enrollment student at Parkway Center City Middle College and will be graduating from both high school and Community College of Philadelphia this spring, before attending Columbia University in the fall. And, she’ll be attending Columbia University on a full-ride scholarship, thanks to her hard work and dedication to her community thus far. Ultimately, Mariafernanda wants to work in a career that will allow her to help and serve as many people as she possibly can.
April 7, 2026
Roary’s Cubhouse Gives Student Parents a Place to Study While Their Children Play
In October 2025, CCP unveiled a new study space made specifically for student parents/caregivers, a project meant to increase belonging and help more students succeed. Located in the Library and Learning Commons on Main Campus, Roary’s Cubhouse is equipped with study materials, desks, and computers for students and toys, games, child-safe furniture, and more for children.
“Roary’s Cubhouse represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to supporting student parents and caregivers,” said Dr. Alycia Marshall, president of Community College of Philadelphia. “This new family-friendly study space is designed to empower students with children to pursue their academic and career goals while managing the responsibilities of parenting. We created this space to provide comfort, connection, and a sense of community—for our students and their young children.”
Parenting students at CCP no longer have to choose between study time and caregiving responsibilities. Students can reserve this space online to use whenever they are on campus.
April 3, 2026
Dual Enrollment Student Receives Prestigious Scholarship
Julian “Jules” Lees is a high school senior and a dual enrollment student at Community College of Philadelphia through a partnership with MaST Charter schools, allowing him to graduate from high school this May with 69 college credits and an associate degree in Health Care Studies
March 24, 2026
Community College of Philadelphia unveils new state-of-the-art welding lab during graduation of inaugural cohorts of Naval Welding and Nondestructive Testing programs
The Naval Welding and Nondestructive Testing programs, along with the newly constructed welding lab, were made possible through a U.S. Navy-funded partnership with BlueForge Alliance.