Joe Morris, a member of Community College of Philadelphia’s first graduating class, remembers his days at the College fondly, and is grateful for the educational and overall life skills he gained while at the College. After graduating from CCP, Morris pursued a robust career in health care and eventually went on to obtain an MBA in Health Administration from Temple University.

“I would say it taught me to be self-reliant,” Morris said about his experience at the College. “And to always be looking for the answer and to explore various avenues to get to that answer, and to consult with others and find out their ideas.”

Morris has used these skills in all of his professional roles, including an air pollution control analyst, a professional liability consultant, an analyst with the New Jersey Department of Health and eventually became Assistant Health Commissioner with the NJ Department of Health. He also worked as the project manager for diagnosis-related groups during a time when the State of New Jersey was experimenting with how to pay hospitals differently for Medicare. “In [January] 1980, we implemented the first set of 26 hospitals,” Morris said. “And it was a success. Medicare adopted it three years later, and they still use it to this day.”

After decades of a successful career following a strong launch from CCP, Joe Morris hopes that the College continues to provide important educational opportunities to the entire Philadelphia community, making it, "possible for some individuals to actually achieve and have a career that they might not otherwise have.”

Sequoia Alldun recently completed Community College of Philadelphia’s Welding program and is now working in an apprenticeship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Sequoia grew up around welding because her dad was a mechanic, and when she moved to Philadelphia, she figured she’d give the profession a try herself. CCP was a fast and affordable option to get her started.

Now in her apprenticeship, Sequoia feels like CCP prepared her for the different kinds of welding that she has encountered. “I think preparing for the work I'm doing now is quite difficult, but it prepared me with the knowledge of welding for the different jobs that we could have,” Sequoia said. “But the work we did at CCP outside of the classroom in the welding booths was a pretty on-spot training for getting us ready to take the tests and to start welding.”

Sequoia is grateful for the knowledge that she gained at CCP and for the inclusive space she felt it gave her. “Just the culture at CCP was really nice,” Sequoia said. She appreciated that there was so much diversity in her program. “No one in my class had the same experience or background at all,” she said. “We had a teacher, someone just out of high school...a mechanic, a foreman from a shop. Like everyone was from a different field...which was really refreshing.”

Sequoia has about three years left of her apprenticeship at the Navy Yard. Once that is completed, she will be considered a journeyman, which will set her on a path for further upward mobility or shifting to a different industry.

For mother-daughter duo Valerie and Louise Lanzetta, Community College of Philadelphia has brought opportunities at affordable prices. Valerie was born in Philadelphia and raised in France, but when she returned to the city in her 30s, she wanted to pursue an American college degree. “I did some research, and I found out about CCP. [They had] different time[s] for classes that fit my personal schedule,” Valerie said. Now, Valerie works as a program director and assistant professor of Medical Laboratory Science at Thomas Jefferson University.

Valerie’s daughter, Louise, decided to come to CCP after first attending the University of Pittsburgh for a year. Louise wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her college education at first, so she wanted something more affordable to help her figure it out. “CCP was an affordable option with the ability to take a variety of classes to see what I was interested in,” Louise said. “And my mom recommended it, [so] it was like a no-brainer.” After completing a degree in Liberal Studies, Louise now works as a legal clerk at the Philadelphia Family Court.

Both Valerie and Louise appreciate that CCP offers a high-quality education at an accessible cost. Louise attended a magnet high school before starting college, where many of her peers were slated to attend competitive universities. She shared that she wished someone had told her CCP was an option earlier. “It's a really affordable option, and it's an important resource that the City of Philadelphia has,” Louise said. Valerie’s son and Louise’s brother also attended CCP, graduating from the College in 2025 with an associate degree in Biological Sciences.

The College hosted the annual Celebrate the Stars and Holiday Celebration event on Dec. 10, where the community came together to congratulate faculty and staff who have reached milestones in their years of service at the College. More than 100 employees celebrated 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 years of service and were presented with a certificate. The Gymnasium featured 1960s themed decor in honor of the College’s 60^th anniversary, and attendees enjoyed food, music, dancing, games and raffles.

Some of our stars celebrated 40 years of dedication to CCP, and offered to share a bit of their story with us:

Debra Carr Brooks

Carr Brooks has worked in Records and Registration at CCP and has held multiple roles in that office throughout her 40 years. Her favorite parts of working at CCP are helping students and working side-by-side with her colleagues, noting the satisfaction of seeing students relax when helping them navigate processes. Carr Brooks sees the College one group working together to get students where they want to be. “This College is a family,” Carr Brooks said.

Camille Mairs

Mairs is a faculty member in the Mathematics department and teaches primarily at the Northeast Regional Center. “I feel really grateful that I've been able to be here for so long, that I've been able to go through all these different phases in my life—stressful times, busy times where I couldn't dedicate as much to outside things,” said Mairs. “But now I can. And [I’m] so grateful for that.”

Mairs’ passion for teaching is palpable in the way she speaks about her profession. But she’s also passionate about CCP specifically. “I'm grateful that I love teaching so much, and I'm in a place that let me do it and let me grow in my own teaching skills and supported me,” she said. “I always felt at home and safe here.”

Theresa “Terry” Naana

Naana has held many positions at the College over her 40 years, but she currently works under the vice president of Business and Finance. Naana and Carr Brooks have worked closely together in their time here and have built a strong friendship along the way. Like Carr Brooks, Naana loves supporting students. “I think we work [well] together because at the end of the day, it's about our students,” Naana said. “And that's what everybody strives for.”

In addition to supporting students, Naana wants more people in the Philadelphia community to recognize how valuable CCP faculty and staff are. “Our staff is willing to help on the front lines,” Naana said. “And we…make sure things work really well.” Working toward the common goal of student success unites CCP faculty and staff to do their best work in collaboration with each other.

Bernard Rhodan

Rhodan has worked in Business Services at Community College of Philadelphia for more than 20 years. Before entering his role in Shipping and Receiving, he worked in the mailroom and in facilities. He originally came to the College in 1985 after his sister—who also worked at CCP at the time—recommended it. “CCP is a wonderful place,” Bernard said. Though it’s changed a lot since he first started 40 years ago, Bernard still finds the College to be a place with a strong sense of community. “It's a community, and I get to meet the folks and it's just…one big family, you know what I mean?”