Maryland Association of Community Colleges Advocacy Day, Feb. 11
Student representatives from the College of Southern Maryland are heading to Annapolis for the Maryland Association of Community College (MACC) Advocacy Day on Feb. 11. CSM students will join students from Marylands 15 other community colleges in asking for support from legislators during the next session of the Maryland General Assembly.
We have great support from our Southern Maryland delegation and students want to say thank you as well as remind lawmakers that support for community colleges translates to investment in the states future. Almost all of our community college students are from Maryland and 92 percent of community college graduates remain in state, meaning that Maryland money stays in Maryland in the form of a local, skilled and productive workforce, said CSM Student and Instructional Support Services Vice President Dr. Bill Comey.
Over a working lifetime, graduates with associate degrees earn between $475,000 to over $600,000 more than high school graduates, and this income gap is expected to grow, according to MACC.
I want to tell members of the Southern Maryland delegation that attending a community college has made a big difference in my life. It is affordable for my family and it opened doors for me. I was able to take a variety of courses which helped me realize that I want a career as a guidance counselor or advisor and work at a high school in the area, said Alesia Turner of Waldorf, who is a Student Association representative for the La Plata Campus. I am excited to grow and give back to my community.
Students who will be traveling to Annapolis are, Christopher Alliahari of Waldorf, Charles Chappell of Prince Frederick, Yadira Coleman of Bryans Road, Nicholas Combs of Leonardtown, Kenneth Grazier of Waldorf, Tevin Haynes of Oxon Hill, Travis Hill of Leonardtown, George Jenkins III of La Plata, Courtnie Krauss of Port Republic, Heather Murphy of Prince Frederick, Carly and Corrine Penny of La Plata, Venice Miller of Hollywood, Turner of Waldorf and Michaela Wallace of Lexington Park.
For information on CSM, visit www.csmd.edu. For information on the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, visit http://mdacc.org/.