Middlesex Community College: MCC Develops New Program For Black Female High School Students

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

7/8/2021

With a mission focused on equity and accessibility, Middlesex Community College strives to offer all students a well-rounded academic experience that will set them up for long-lasting success. Middlesex and The Center for Hope and Healing are collaborating to deliver the Black Girls Lead! Summer Program to 14 young women of color who are participating in MCC’s Dual Enrollment program.

In the Black Girls Lead! course, Black female high school sophomores, juniors and seniors have an opportunity to focus on empowerment and leadership skills. Part of MCC’s Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) offerings, the course provides an introduction to Middlesex, while developing important knowledge, habits and tools from the start of their college experience.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Melissa Chandonnet, MCC’s Director of Concurrent and Dual Enrollment. “In addition to building leadership skills, the course will include topics such as colorism, self-care, Black women in the media, the Black Lives Matter Movement, a sexual violence awareness discussion led by The Center of Hope and Healing, and much more.”

MCC’s Black Girls Lead! course is a result of Black Girls Rock, a program from The Center for Hope and Healing, according to Masada Jones, the Community Impact Manager for The Center.

“The program started the summer of 2020 to give young Black women a space to show up whole,” Jones said. “A space to be in community with people who look like them and discuss topics of colorism, self-care, hair, media tropes and much more. This program is important because as a Black woman I understand the need for affinity spaces and representation – especially when living in predominately white communities.”

Students will have the opportunity to network with female leaders from the Center for Hope and Healing, Black Girls Rock and Middlesex – including Lauren Ellis, MCC’s Program Manager for Community Education and Training and the instructor for the course.

“We want our students to understand the impact they can have on the world,” Ellis said. “As they face complex issues, we want to make them aware of the different ways they can navigate through it. This program is dedicated to helping students realize their own values, identities and practices – how they interact with this evolving world – so they can be set up for success and prepared to respond in meaningful ways.”

Through theories and practices, the course will help students hone relevant skills, including written and oral communications, critical thinking, multicultural and global perspectives, and personal and professional development. Each student received a copy of “Sister Citizen” by Melissa Harris-Perry, and Ellis created a Black Girls Lead! resources guide.

The students will also spend two hours mentoring young Black girls in addition to having a poetry reading and creating an Instagram and mini-documentary of their time in the class for practical, hands-on experiences.

MCC Dual Enrollment students gain valuable college classroom experience while satisfying their high school graduation requirements. Either offered through their high school or on their own, Dual Enrollment students have access to flexible course offerings, state-of-the-art technology labs, small class sizes, a streamlined tuition process and affordable tuition.

A one-credit college-level course, classes for Black Girls Lead! will meet online over Zoom with scheduled meeting times. Attendance is mandatory for each class and students are expected to have their cameras on for full participation.

For more information about Black Girls Lead! contact Masada Jones at masada@chhinc.org. Visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/ids/ to learn about MCC’s IDS course offerings.

Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/dualenroll/ for more information on Dual Enrollment at MCC, or contact dualenrollment@middlesex.mass.edu.

Featuring flexible course formats and a variety of student support services and resources, MCC is registering now for the Fall 2021 semester. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for classes.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.