Student Success Stories

Faculty members at Community College of Philadelphia are dedicated to giving you real-world experience, knowledge and skills with which to obtain better employment and a better quality of life. Uniquely among other colleges and universities, their main focus is you, their student. Below, meet a tiny sample of our approximately 1,100 full- and part-time faculty whose achievements will inspire you.

Shania Bennett

Shania Bennett

Criminal Justice Program Graduate, 2018

At just 18 years old, Shania Bennett will have earned her associate’s degree from the Community College of Philadelphia even before she graduates high school through the College’s dual enrollment program. While attending the Girard Academic Music Program in South Philadelphia, Bennett has taken classes in the College’s Criminal Justice Program. She will be attending Pennsylvania State where she will study Criminology in the fall.

Not only this, in May of 2018, Bennett was elected to the 48th Ward’s 12 district committee and on June 4th of the same year has become ward treasurer. She canvassed her neighborhood, going door-to-door to seek endorsement from local residents to gain support. She aspires to lend her youthful perspective and her studies in criminal justice to lead improvements to her community.

Hazim Hardeman

Communications Program Graduate, 2015

When Hazim Hardeman started at Community College of Philadelphia in 2012, his goals were to raise his GPA and transfer to Temple University. He accomplished that and much more, graduating from the College in 2015 with an associate degree in Communications with High Honors, where he also served as vice president of the Student Government Association. In 2017, Hazim graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications.

Now, Hazim’s hard work and dedication has paid off: he has made history as the first Community College of Philadelphia and Temple University graduate to become a Rhodes Scholar. Starting in fall of 2018, Hazim will attend Oxford University to pursue a master’s degree, and he couldn’t have gotten there without the College. “It’s not just a sort of steppingstone, it’s a place where you can go and grow just like any other place.”

 

Hazim Hardeman

 

Deesha Dyer

Deesha Dyer

Women’s Studies Program Graduate, 2012

In 2009, Deesha Dyer took a chance and applied for an internship at the White House that changed the course of her life. In the following years, that internship led to roles as the Associate Director of Scheduling Correspondence and Hotel Director at the White House, all while earning her associate degree from Community College of Philadelphia online. After completing her degree, she served as Deputy Social Secretary to President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and later, as Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary.

Deesha returned to Community College of Philadelphia in 2016 as the College’s 50th Commencement speaker, where she inspired new graduates with her own success story. “Without Community College of Philadelphia, I would have never made it to the White House. I hope my journey from Community College of Philadelphia to the White House will inspire the graduates to continue to pursue their dreams and use their degrees to better their communities.”

 

 

 

Jennifer Myers

Diagnostic Medical Imaging Program Graduate, 2017

As a single parent with a successful career in the insurance industry, Jennifer Myers enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia to pursue a career change in the health care field. Her passions for science, technology and patient care were at home in the Diagnostic Medical Imaging program, where she graduated with an associate degree in 2017. That same year, she was one of 55 students chosen from over 3,000 applicants to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The prestigious scholarship provides high-achieving, service-oriented community college students up to $40,000 per year to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Jennifer was accepted to Thomas Jefferson University, where she plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in the university’s general sonography program. Her end goal is to become a physician assistant, and as a Cooke Scholar, she will be eligible for additional scholarships to send her to graduate school.

 

Jennifer Myers
Larry Thi

Larry Thi

Liberal Arts – Social and Behavioral Science Program Graduate, 2011

Larry Thi’s path to the Ivy League started when he enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia to improve his reading and writing skills, and prepare to transfer to a four-year institution. In 2011, he graduated from the College with both an associate degree and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The latter helped fund his transfer to University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2013.

After graduation from UNC, Larry worked in the nonprofit sector and joined the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation as a coordinator of alumni programming. In 2016, he won a second scholarship from the Foundation – the Cooke Graduate Scholarship – which awarded him $50,000 a year for up to 4 years to attend a graduate program. Larry is currently a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is pursuing a dual master’s degree in Education Policy and Public Administration.

 

 

Troy Bundy

Behavioral Health and Human Services Program Graduate, 2018

When Troy Bundy first enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia, he didn’t consider himself a natural leader. That changed during his tenure at the College, as the father and husband became a two-time president of the Student Government Association (SGA), a mentor at the College’s Center for Male Engagement, and a student speaker at the College’s 52nd Commencement ceremony. Troy was also a member of the 2018 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and a recipient of the SGA’s outstanding service award and the Whyatt Mondesire Community Impact Scholarship.

After receiving his associate degree from the college this year, Troy plans to attend West Chester University with aspirations to earn a master’s degree in social work. He speaks positively of his time at the College: “In my new life, I work extra hard for the positive reward of helping others. I think I've had a good impact on students here. They ask for my suggestions and talk to me about their personal and academic lives.”

 

Troy Bundy