The national movement to help more community college students stay in school and earn their college certificate or degree is in full-swing. Foundation and nonprofit executives, government officials, and thought-leaders are certainly making their voices heard, but what do actual students say will help them succeed?
A new video competition, called DREAM Big for College, provides a platform for students to fast-track their voice right to the ear of influencers and policy-makers. The video contest – launched by Achieving the Dream and ISKME’s CompletionMatters.org – challenges students to convey, in 3-minutes or less, what’s working at their college to help them stay on track and finish what they started.
“Almost half of all undergraduate students in our country go to community college and the nation needs to hear what they have to say about what is working on their campuses and keeping them on track for graduation so that we can learn from their experiences,” explains Lauren Lewis, Assistant Director of Communications at Achieving the Dream. “This competition is answering that need, and the Achieving the Dream Network will make sure their voices are heard.”
Achieving the Dream partnered with ISKME as a way to strengthen ties between the communities that that they serve—educators, administrators, policy makers, and students. Through CompletionMatters.org, Achieving and the Dream and ISKME became motivated to work together on this video contest because they share a commitment to innovation in education and find that new technologies like online video and social media are important vehicles for awareness and change. The outcome of this partnership will give the nation the chance to learn directly from community college students. Hearing student voices will help inform and support the Postsecondary Education Completion Community in the United States.
“ISKME is excited to elevate student voices as part of our work with CompletionMatters.org, which serves to highlight champions of college completion,” said Lindsay Kelley, Program Manager for ISKME’s Completion Matters.org.
Students who are currently enrolled or have attended an Achieving the Dream Institution within the last three months are eligible to submit to win awards and prizes, including iPads, tuition scholarships, school supplies, and gift cards. Voting will occur at D.R.E.A.M., Achieving the Dream’s 2012 Annual Meeting on Student Success, held February 28-March 2, 2012 in Dallas, Texas.
To explore the DREAM Big for College video competition, check out our Facebook page (and "like" us!). We’d love to hear from you on the page. Join the conversation and post about your own college successes.