by Sara Wilkerson
The Montgazette Editor-In-Chief
Everyone has that one defining moment or period in their lives that always sticks in the back of their minds as the greatest (or worst) time they’ve ever had in their life. For me, my defining period was a life changing summer program I was in last summer. Last summer, I was one of six Montgomery County Community College students who participated in the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program, or BCCSP, where during an eventful summer I got to know twenty-six individuals who have changed my life for the better.
BCCSP was formed in 2007 as an initiative to integrate highachieving community college students into a four-year institution through a six-week program of intense academic rigor and numerous social engagements. After the end of the program, if students decide to transfer to Bucknell University upon completing their Associate degree, they receive a full tuition scholarship to finish their undergraduate degree.
The six weeks I was in the program changed my outlook on my academics, my social life and myself. I don’t normally have much trouble academically. However, I admittedly felt overwhelmed by the intensity and volume of work by taking two classes in a six-week period. I wasn’t the only one.
Mickey Arce, a student from Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), spoke about the program’s academics. “This is academic boot camp… I needed to quickly rethink my current studying techniques… Adaptability and time management was key to my success in this program.”
Likewise, Aldaine Alphonse, also from LCCC, spoke about her academic challenges saying, “… English is my third language, it took me twice the time of a native speaker to organize my thoughts and put it on [an academic] paper.”
Socially speaking, the program is reliant on the students becoming close to one another. As Barb Thiel from Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) put it, “The social aspects are as intensive as the academics… You will learn things about others that will make you want to be a better person, and others in turn will want to be better for knowing you.”
For most of my life, I have been searching for a group of friends to call my own “fam.” Through the highs of the weekend excursions and the vulnerable lows of sitting in circles and getting to know each other deeply, I am proud to say that I became part of a family with my fellow cohort members. It is through BCCSP that I’ve become a stronger scholar, more outgoing, and more reflective on experiences that I live through.
Alexa Eddy, another CCP student, explained the impact of being in BBCSP: “I found myself and became much more confident with expressing myself and being myself because of it! Bucknell was the best experience of my life!”
I couldn’t say it better myself. BCCSP is a life-changing program where students are given the chance to discover not only new challenges, but also to discover themselves, in one unforgettable summer at a prestigious university.
To find out more information about BCCSP and how to apply, contact the College’s liaison, Kristin Fulmer, via kfulmer@mc3.edu.
Leave a comment