Community College of Philadelphia’s faculty-led, short-term study abroad programs are back in full swing following a pandemic-related hiatus. Previous opportunities have brought students to several countries over the last 10 years, including Cuba, Japan, Tanzania, Cambodia, South Africa, England and Belize. The College prides itself on being able to offer these eye-opening and incredibly enriching experiences to students, which are mostly found at four-year institutions.

This summer, CCP offered study abroad programs in Ghana, India, London and Mexico. Each of the programs allowed for eight students to participate in a 10- to 12-day trip while completing a credit-bearing course related to their travels and studies. The courses ranged in topics covering various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. “For example, in the Ghana Study Abroad trip led by the Black Studies program faculty, students focused on history, the African Diaspora and local-global community engagement. A domestic tour of Howard University and historical and cultural landmarks were a precursor to the international program to Ghana,” said Lucia Gbaya-Kanga, Study Abroad director and assistant professor of English. 

Each of the four 2025 programs covered a different topic. The Mexico trip focused on contemporary architecture; the India trip focused on business through the lens of culture, history, food and architecture. “And the London program focused on the Black experience and Black identity in London’s theater and arts scene,” Gbaya-Kanga said.

Though the topics of study and the locations change and vary, the overarching goal of these study abroad courses remain the same: to expand students’ global competence, worldview, and ways of knowing. “I think the number one thing that students ultimately discuss once they return is the impact of the program on their understanding, empathy, gratitude, things of that nature” Gbaya-Kanga said.

For many students, these trips are also the first time they are leaving the United States. “You know, it was my first time out of the country,” said, Sanaa Desper, a student who participated in the Ghana trip this summer. “So just with the process, like everything was so new. Like getting a passport, getting a visa, having to get vaccinations,” she said. Reflecting on her experience, Sanaa said, “The best way I could explain when people were asking me, it was just like I feel like a different person. Like it was just transformative in so many ways, like in the way that I think, the way that I now want to learn.”

Something that Gbaya-Kanga talks about with her study abroad program colleagues is how these experiences translate into career and workforce readiness. She’s seen the effect that these trips have had on several students and their career trajectories. “Anecdotally, a lot of our students will change their careers depending on what they've gained from this experience and lean harder into international or global affairs,” said Gbaya-Kanga.

Several students had positive feedback on how their trips impacted them:

“I believe this experience not only exposed me to further my creative research, it also allowed me to connect with an alternate experience of Black creatives, which gave me a feeling of inspiration.”

“It made me want to focus more on sustainability and bringing that in my education and career as well as learning more about other cultures and languages.”

“I actually made a career change. I’m in the Tourism and Hospitality Management program. I didn't quite know what I wanted to major in. While visiting India and all the programs and workshop we visited, I fell in love with event management.”

“It’s changed goals, outlooks and made education something I want even more.”

CCP’s study abroad programs are valuable to students in so many different and unique ways. We are proud to offer these programs to students, as well as domestic study trips each Summer I session. For more information about study abroad, visit our website or contact bgbayaka [at] ccp.edu (Lucia Gbaya-Kanga), the Study Abroad program director.

In spring 2025, students in Community College of Philadelphia’s Theater program presented their original play,” Miz Prophet Tells All”—born out of a class prompt to create puppet figures and set design elements for an imaginary production based on the Cassandra myth. The play was so widely well-received that the department encouraged students and their faculty leaders to submit the work for entry into the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. This week, those same students will be performing an updated version of the show as part of Fringe Fest, the first time CCP has ever been included in the renowned, city-wide event. The show is again being directed by CCP Theater instructor, Dave Ebersole, the show’s original director.

“So, the play started from exercises and projects in English 141, which is Intro to Technical Theater,” said Jonathan Pappas, the assistant professor of English who worked most closely with the students on this show. “We wanted to build some cool, exciting puppets in this case. And in order to professionalize it...we started thinking, ‘well, what kind of play would need these large stage elements?’” From there, Pappas pulled in students from Scriptwriting and Acting classes to dream up something that could incorporate these incredible prop designs. The project then began to morph into its own form outside the classroom. “In between my design class and the acting class [there was] this three-hour gap and they wrote a script over a full semester,” Pappas said.

Professor Pappas articulated how rare it is in the theater world for a production to start from a place of technical design, rather than a narrative storyline or script. “I think the most difficult part about getting started was definitely the fact that it came from a technical angle,” said Thaddeus Bey, one of the main writers of the show. “So, it's like, okay, you have this box, and you have to figure out how to work inside the box and make it your own idea.” For months, three dedicated students—Thaddeus Bey, Yerancey Acevedo and Justin Hart—worked together between classes to develop a solid narrative that could stand on its own. And so, “Miz Prophet Tells All” came to be.

Being accepted into the Fringe Festival gave an opportunity for this group of students to make additional tweaks to enhance their original production. The students came back together to rewrite the script, and they even added a whole new scene. The cast came back together too—even those who graduated earlier this year. Without giving too many spoilers, Leena Tran, one of the show’s set designers, stage manager and onstage puppeteer, explained the process of building a 22-foot snake prop that will take five people to operate on stage. Leena has spent the last two months working on this snake, which is mostly made of recycled materials that would otherwise be trash.

Like everyone involved in the production, Thaddeus was thrilled to learn that they’d been accepted into the Fringe Festival. “I think that's probably the coolest part about the Fringe, [that] it gives us a really cool second swing at it,” he said. “With the Fringe, we get to show that we can take it even further, which is really nice.” Being a professional festival, the Fringe show offers the opportunity for these students and recent graduates to have a high-level, professional theater experience, something they can take with them wherever they go next.

For Leena, being part of the Fringe Festival is proof that she can do this work creatively and for herself. “I think it, to me, it means a lot because I can really prove to myself that I can work on this project and build something myself. I originally went into tech theater because I love working with people, and it's amazing to see so many people work together to create this show,” said Leena, who graduated from CCP in May and is using her Theater training to work professionally for local theatre companies as a set designer and stage-manager. She also worked on another show in this year’s Fringe Festival called Carnival of Feelings.

Pappas is excited to see students getting this opportunity to showcase their creativity and share the show with a larger audience. This is the first time that CCP has been part of the Fringe Festival and is likely the first time an entirely student-produced and run show will be featured in the festival. “I'm thrilled that a bigger audience will see what they've made, and [see] that it is a community, and it's the product of so much storytelling and artistry,” Pappas said.

The key to a good theater production is the community and the collaboration that brings people from many places and backgrounds to create one beautiful, cohesive performance. “Miz Prophet Tells All’s” inclusion in the Fringe Festival is a reminder of the strength of community and collaboration. Students and recent grads taking time out of their busy schedules to create another run of this show and take it to the next level is a testament of their dedication and belief in themselves and each other.

The show will run Sept. 23 through 26 with a 6 p.m. start time each night. You can purchase tickets online through the Fringe Festival.