Adopt-A-School Tutor Spotlight: Destiny Dotson

Destiny Dotson is a Nursing student at Community College of Philadelphia who anticipates graduating in spring 2026. She is currently part of our Adopt-A-School program, where she works with students at William H. Ziegler Elementary School.

Read on to learn how this experience has impacted Destiny!   

Q: What motivated you to join the Adopt-A-School Program?

A: I chose to join the Adopt-A-School Program because I love working with kids and it was a good opportunity to gain additional experience. It also helped in a time where it was difficult to find gainful employment that aligned with my school schedule.

Q: What has been one of the most rewarding aspects of working with K–12 students?

A: I would have to say the most rewarding aspect of working with K–12 students was knowing that what I was doing was adding some form of value to their life, and it made it even better seeing the smiles on their faces when I walked into the classroom.

Q: What skills have you gained or strengthened through your experience in the program?

A: Honestly, one thing I can say about being in the Adopt-A-School Program is that it has truly helped me develop more patience and helped me to be more empathetic with younger generations.

Learn more about the Adopt-A-School Program and how you can get involved.

The newly unveiled works of Sosena Solomon mark the first time a commissioned contemporary film series has been on permanent display in the Arts of Africa galleries of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Philly filmmaker’s 12-part series encourages viewers to connect with African cultural landmarks as they explore the galleries.

“They’ve never done this before,” said Sosena, a Philly filmmaker and CCP adjunct instructor. “It’s very exciting to know that this is the first time that the Met has engaged in films in the Africa galleries in this way. This is as permanent as their artifacts.”

Created in partnership with World Monuments Fund and the Met’s new Arts of Africa galleries, the 12 films highlight important African cultural landmarks in sub-Saharan Africa. Sosena directed and filmed the entire series over the span of two years and covered landmarks from Great Zimbabwe to Tsodilo Hills, Botswana.

The idea, Sosena explained, was to provide cultural content that connects to the physical artifacts in the galleries.

“By displaying the architecture, the rituals involved, the caretakers, the local communities, we wanted the Met viewers to go on this journey to these really miraculous places,” she said. “I get to share this very sacred experience with the world. To have that kind of engagement and to see the response of people really feeling the impact of the films, I’m really proud. It’s just magical.”

Sosena was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved to the United States at a young age. Her parents are from Ethiopia, and she grew up in a traditional Ethiopian home in Maryland before moving to Philadelphia for undergraduate studies.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Television Production from Temple University and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Social Documentary Film from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has been making documentaries for the past 15 years.

When not creating stunning films for the Met, she teaches Digital Video Production at CCP and she lectures the University of Pennsylvania. Sosena previously taught at University of the Arts in Philly.

“I came to Philly for undergrad and never left,” Sosena said. “It’s so hard to leave Philly. It’s such a great town, and it’s such a great place to cultivate the practice (of filmmaking) because there is a really great film community here that’s not New York and it’s not LA, but you can access those places from here.”

The collaborative critique sessions and hands-on approach of her education inspired her to get into teaching. Sosena credits her professors and mentors—many of whom are now her colleagues—for elevating her craft.

“I try to cultivate that in the classroom,” she said. “All of my classes are very hands on and project based. We are on a journey through making, and I find that the students always grow. And that’s what I love to cultivate in my classroom.”

She took a moment to marvel at the talented students she teaches at CCP.

“The students are so engaged and really want to tell very particular stories that matter to them that are part of their environment,” Sosena said. “There’s a real vigor. They come in, and they have stories to tell.”

To her, filmmaking is not only a tool for sharing information, but also “a way to go on a journey with people.” That’s something Sosena tries to impart to her students and something she feels she achieved with her series at the Met.

“I feel like I gave the world something with this,” she said. “I think that’s why we become storytellers and creators and artists. Because we want to tell the world something and to show the world something.”

Learn more about Sosena Solomon and her work on Forbes Africa, Essence, and metmuseum.org.

For Sanaa Desper, attending CCP is much more than just showing up in the classroom. She’s taken full advantage of the boundless opportunities that exist here for students. Sanaa, a Photography major, works as a student social media content creator in the College’s Strategic Communications office, participated in a summer study abroad trip to Ghana and worked in an internship role at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She’s accomplished all of this before even starting her second year at CCP.

All of these opportunities, and coming to CCP in general, have affected Sanaa’s perspective on life and the world. She sees the connection between each of these experiences and how they all add to her education, helping her learn and grow into the next version of herself. “When I think of studying abroad and taking a leap for the content position,” Sanaa said, “I think it really helped me grow into that sense where I am starting to discover what I'm passionate about and the things that I enjoy and what I want to try.”

Sanaa is also starting to realize the impact she has on others and how these experiences allow her to make a difference for her peers and the rest of the campus community. “It's really opening a lot of doors and allowing me to think about what I want to do just in general, but also the ways in which I can impact people on any level,” Sanaa said. Since her role as a student content creator on campus is so forward-facing, students frequently recognize her from the videos she creates, and she loves that she can connect with her peers in this way.

Sanaa also enjoyed forming new connections on the Ghana trip. “I had an amazing experience,” Sanaa said. “A lot of us were so sad [to leave]. We're like, ‘we wish we could stay!’ We're already plotting our five-year reunion.” Sanaa said that one of her favorite parts of the trip was communing over dinner with her peers and their professors at the end of each day. Their group even started their own routine of writing and sharing haiku poems with each other each evening. She said it was a beautiful way to reflect on the day, what they learned and the emotional impact of the study abroad experience. “The best way I could explain it was just like I feel like a different person. Like it was just transformative in so many ways,” Sanaa said about her experience studying abroad. “Just in the way that I think and the way that I now want to learn.”

Once returning from Ghana, Sanaa immediately began working as an intern at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “I worked specifically with the editorial graphic design team, and the majority of the work that I did was with editorial projects,” she said. Sanaa noted how exciting it was to see all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into opening an exhibition and all the people it takes to make it happen. She also made great connections with other people at the museum. “I had the opportunity to meet with the PMA's content team, and they were asking how I got to my [student content creator] role at CCP,” Sanaa said.

Through all of her hard work, Sanaa is setting herself up for success and finding exactly what it is she wants to pour her passion into.  

Keep an eye out for Sanaa on our social media pages this fall! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2025

Contact:
Antwon R. Martin
armartin [at] ccp.edu (armartin[at]ccp[dot]edu)
267.666.7881

Contact 
Michelle Aliprantis, MBA 
Regional Director of Marketing and Communications 
MAliprantis [at] primehealthcare.com (MAliprantis[at]primehealthcare[dot]com) 
215.785.9817

Community College of Philadelphia and Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region announce new health care education partnership
First-of-its-kind partnership will provide field experience and pathways to careers for health care students at CCP

PHILADELPHIA — Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) and Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region have announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that will enhance education and career opportunities for health care students at the College. The announcement was made during a partnership signing ceremony today on CCP’s Main Campus.

Through the new partnership, CCP students enrolled in various health care degree programs will have the opportunity to participate in field educational experience rotations at Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania facilities, including Roxborough Memorial Hospital and Lower Bucks Hospital. To recruit students, the hospitals will collaborate with CCP’s Career Connections department, which supports students as they work to achieve their career goals.

"This partnership represents a pivotal moment for the College as we join forces with a leading health system like Prime Healthcare,” said Dr. Alycia Marshall, interim president of the College. “Our health care education programs have long been recognized for their academic excellence and industry relevance. This collaboration will provide our students with unprecedented access to hands-on clinical experiences which will prepare them to meet the demands of today’s healthcare environment with skill, confidence, and compassion.”

Eligible credit and non-credit health care programs at CCP include Medical Laboratory Technology, Phlebotomy, Respiratory Care Technology, Diagnostic Medical Imaging, Nursing, Medical Assistant, Nurse Aide Training, and Pharmacy Technicians.

"This partnership with Community College of Philadelphia represents a significant advancement in fostering the next generation of healthcare professionals,” remarked Shawn Parekh, CEO of Roxborough Memorial Hospital. “By offering students experiential learning opportunities within our facilities, we are enhancing their educational experience while simultaneously addressing the urgent need for qualified healthcare workers in our communities."

Parekh further emphasized, “At Roxborough Memorial Hospital, we prioritize the cultivation of strong educational partnerships that pave the way for meaningful career opportunities. We are eager to collaborate with CCP to help students acquire the practical experience and training essential for success in an ever-evolving healthcare environment.”

Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region is a division of Prime Healthcare, an award-winning health system based in Ontario, California. The organization operates 51 hospitals and over 360 outpatient locations across 14 states, facilitating more than 2.5 million patient visits annually.

Under the terms of the new agreement, students will have the opportunity to participate in supervised field experiences at Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania facilities.

In addition to remarks by Dr. Marshall and Dr. Parekh, attendees at the signing ceremony heard from Dr. Vishal Shah, dean for the Division of Math, Science and Health Careers at CCP, and Beth Leahey, chief nursing officer at Roxborough Memorial Hospital.

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About Community College of Philadelphia

Community College of Philadelphia is the largest public institution of higher education in the City of Philadelphia. With an open admissions policy, the College serves all who may benefit – regardless of age, income, or ability. For more than 50 years, the College has lived up to its mission and goals by providing educational access for over 700,000 Philadelphians, setting families, businesses and neighborhoods on the path of shared prosperity and opportunity. For information on the College's degree and certificate programs, workforce development strategies, and community engagement initiatives, visit ccp.edu and follow us on social media @CCPedu.

About Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region
Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region is part of Prime Healthcare, an award-winning health system operating 51 hospitals and more than 360 outpatient locations in 14 states, providing over 2.5 million patient visits annually. Prime Healthcare Pennsylvania Region includes Roxborough Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia and Lower Bucks Hospital in Bucks County.

Prime’s hospitals in Pennsylvania are certified by The Joint Commission as Primary Stroke Centers and have won multiple awards through Healthgrades and the Get With The Guidelines Quality Achievement Awards though the American Heart Association.

Our hospitals offer medical, surgical, and emergency care, which includes diagnostic radiology, lab services, behavior health, heart care, rehabilitation, family medicine, wound care, and residency programs.

Through high quality medical care, educational programs, and community outreach services, our hospitals treat all members of our communities with respect and compassion. To learn more about Prime Healthcare, please visit primehealthcare.com.

Community College of Philadelphia’s PBAD program allows students to move quickly through their Nursing curriculum, setting them up for success in just 15 months. This program is designed for students who already have bachelor’s degrees, or higher, in non-nursing majors, giving students an opportunity to make a career change quickly and affordably. This year, the College celebrated the fifth graduating PBAD class with an evening of joy, pride, networking and communing around our 2024 graduates, the largest class the program has seen so far, along with the incoming Class of 2025, who will graduate in August of this year.

Taking place during National Nurses Week, this celebration brought together current students, graduates, and faculty and staff to network and hear about each other’s successes in the program and post-graduation. Over the last five years, the PBAD program has graduated 149 students and continues to grow, with alum now working at places like Holy Redeemer, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, Pottstown Hospital, Virtua Hospital and Kindred Hospital. Graduates work in several areas, such as mental health, med-surg telemetry, innovation unit, intensive care unit, emergency room, interventional radiology, ultrasound iv team, community settings and postpartum/mother/baby.

At the event, attendees were delighted with a presentation of photos and news updates submitted by students and graduates, demonstrating the impact and importance of their work, and their reach across greater Philadelphia. “Philadelphia is a city of ‘eds and meds,’ but there is still a lot of stigma around associate degree nursing and what students are capable of,” said Dr. Lisa Johnson, professor and Nursing department head. “But through this option, we've been able to break down some of those barriers, including with one of our graduates from the first cohort receiving best evidence-based practice project during their nurse residency program.”

Not only are students breaking barriers around their capabilities and performance, but around larger, socio-economic stigmas, too. Dr. Johnson spoke of a student who originally wanted to go into Nursing but thought he wouldn’t be capable because of his ADHD diagnosis. After meeting with the student, Dr. Johnson encouraged him to apply to the program anyway, showing him that those barriers were only there if he let them be. “He said his whole goal of becoming a nurse was that in the Black community, there's stigma with mental health,” she said. “He said that he thought he would have done better if his ADHD had been treated as a kid.” Now, that student is a nurse, helping to give others the chance he had.

Lisa also spoke of another student, Damian Padilla, who opened his own clinic after graduating from the program. “The PBAD Nursing program at CCP laid a strong foundation for my career by providing me with the skills, support and real-world experience I needed to thrive in the health care field,” Damian said. “Their dedicated faculty and rigorous training not only prepared me for advanced nursing practice but also gave me the confidence to open my own clinic.”

Dr. Johnson also appreciates the community that students have built together, even when some share different viewpoints. Reflecting on a time when several students were struggling as the final exam was approaching, she recalled, “When I tell you how amazing it was to watch the entire class come together and say, ‘not one of us will fail,’ and not one did.”

CCP and the Nursing department look forward to growing this program even more and providing the region with high quality, empathetic, and inspiring nurses.