HCC Educational Foundation Spring 2023 Newsletter

It has been a wonderful and busy spring at Howard Community College, with many college areas making changes to operations to serve students better and meet them where they are. In fact, this past March, we celebrated the generosity of donors and student scholarship recipients at the “reimagined” Student/Donor Reception. You can view photos from the event HERE. The semester ended on a fantastic note, with Maryland Governor Wes Moore delivering an inspirational address at HCC’s 52^nd Commencement. He was joined onstage by SGA President Israah Anasri, who provided a heartfelt student commencement address. We could not have achieved such a successful commencement without a supportive community.

This issue of the HCC Educational Foundation newsletter recognizes the exciting ways donors like you have partnered with us to help our students by providing them a pathway to success. From partnering with HCC’s Career Links program, which assists student parents, to supporting student engineers or entrepreneurs at HCC events, our students could not have achieved it all without your support.

Thank you,

Missy Mattey

Multi-generational Pathways to Self-Sufficiency

Single mom Naimah pursues career with the help of donor Ken Solow.

With a shared goal of enabling self-sufficiency for local families, HCC’s Career Links and the Community Action Council (CAC) of Howard County have created a partnership to provide critical, multi-generational support services and education to those in need. “Howard Community College is this phenomenal bridge to getting people into the workforce and giving them a greater chance of success. The Community Action Council does the same thing by enabling families to become self-sufficient,” says Ken Solow, a former member of the HCC Educational Foundation Board. “This idea of putting together a program where we would support parents and children obtaining the skills they need to succeed at the same time seems very unique to me.” Hear more from Ken and a Career Links student.

Student Entrepreneurs

Pitch and Win

Thirteen of HCC’s entrepreneurial program students pitched their innovative business ideas to a panel of business professionals at the “Rocket Pitch” Entrepreneurial Celebration. Sponsored by the Columbia Patuxent Rotary Club and other sponsors, top students from HCC’s four introductory entrepreneurship and creative course classes had five minutes to present their business ideas to a panel of judges. The Rotary Rocket Pitch Prize was presented to the top four scorers. Cierrah Dixon-Styles earned first prize with her business idea, Natural Obsession, which will provide reliable, sturdy, battery-operated facial steamers.

Student Engineers Showcase their Skills

Engineering Projects Night is a celebration and showcase of projects by students in HCC’s engineering program. The event was sponsored by BGE, Bob and Sandy Hogue, and other sponsors, with scholarships awarded to each student on the winning teams. More than 50 students showcased projects, the Toroidal Propeller Optimization Project received the Best Build prize, and the Soccer Ball Launcher Project received the Best Presentation prize.

Learn more about the Engineering program HERE.