How community college changed my life

Cross-posted from White House blog.

Years ago--I won't say how many--I enrolled at Canton Junior College, and commuted to class. It was local; it was inexpensive; and it was less of an investment for a young high school graduate who hadn't yet mapped out his future.

In those days, Canton J.C. didn't even have its own building; it was housed in four rooms of Canton Senior High School. But Canton has grown since then, becoming Spoon River College, getting its own building, and expanding into four different physical campuses and a thriving online component.

That development perfectly mirrors the growing importance of community colleges across America. On October 5, that growing importance will be recognized as Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, hosts the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges.

I think this summit is a terrific idea, and I hope folks will tune into it. Because, were it not for my time at Canton, I would never have decided to become a junior high school social studies teacher. And had I not taught civics, I would never have decided to get involved in local politics.

And, if I hadn’t become involved in local politics, I would never have been elected to Congress and made friends with a fellow named Barack Obama, who eventually appointed me to my current job as US Secretary of Transportation.

Now, I can't say that attending a community college will necessarily lead you to a Cabinet position. But I can say that my experience at Canton helped me find my way in the world. And I can say--without any doubt--that as you begin considering higher education, community colleges offer a tremendously valuable opportunity.

Opportunities for you to participate are available on the summit website.

Please, tune into the White House Summit on Community Colleges. The summit website offers several ways for you to participate, so give it a whirl. You just don't know what you might learn.

Comments

[Rod McFadden]

May I forward this to the Community College Education program at George Mason University?
v/r,
Rod McFadden
MARAD

[Michael E. Bailey]

Community colleges are very important. I remember when I was in special education classes in high school, teachers and guidence councilors said I could not go to college, and could not get a job either. My mother though thought I could go to the community college after I left high school, so we did the college sign up process when I was in my last year of high school . I was able to go and got grades high enough to be able to transfer to CalState Fullerton and finally graduated from there with a BA in Political Science. The whole thing took me 10 years to do and lots of support from the disabled students associations at both colleges, but it was all worth it. And while my first job was in the Goodwill Workshop, I have been employed in the city library for 8 years now. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Carroll]

I would like to see more federal monies go to the community colleges. I know the large universities are suffering, because of high tuition and fees, but that should be a good reason to expand what the community colleges offer as far as classes to be offered. Most are very limited as far as what fields (classes) are offered.

They help a lot of high school students continue their education. Making it easier for them to find good paying jobs.

[Mark (Handy Backup team)]

I agree that community college is very important. Contacts and friends from the college have the most influence in our lives.

[Katemmoran]

Here in rural Southwestern Wisconsin, transportation is one of the biggest barriers to education. There isn't any public transit. People travel 40-60 miles a day to attend Southwest Technical College. Lots of people drop out later in the semester because they can't afford the gas.

We are trying to start a shuttle, but we could use more federal funding. Why isn't there public transit money tied to education? Shouldn't this be a transportation priority?

[John smith]

In my point of view this kind of community colleges have very importance in our life. It's important to set up this kind of colleges where people have barriers to educations.

[professional research paper writers]

I totally agree! Community college is an amazing opportunity not only to get a good education but also to find new friends and important contacts you'll need in future