The Danville Area Community College Diversity team has planned a number of special events to honor Black History Month.
Beginning Monday, February 12, local former MLB player Chuckie Robinson, Sr. will deliver a keynote speech to students in the Lincoln Hall Student Union. From Noon to 1 p.m. there will be a question and answer session with the speaker, and tasting of soul food and desserts provided by Raymealz Catering and DACC Culinary.
February 20th brings two free showings of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks at noon and 5:30 p.m. in the Bremer Theater. Henrietta Lacks, a young African-American mother who died of cervical cancer in 1951, became the source of the HeLa cell line that has been used for decades in medical research. This movie was produced by and stars Oprah Winfrey.
The following day, February 21, is Game Day in the Student Union from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. We’re inviting the community to help us PACC the Place at Mary Miller Gymnasium on Saturday, February 24, starting at 1 p.m. for the Women’s and Men’s Basketball teams. The teams are taking on John Wood Community College.
In addition to a reduced $1 admission and Sophomore Night recognition for the teams, our BHM activities will include a performance of the Black National Anthem and a halftime performance by the Lady Legends Dance Team.
Our Black History Month activities wrap up with a Black History Music Festival on February 29th at 6 p.m. in Bremer Theater.
February is also Financial Aid Awareness Month. Although there has been a series of snafus with the FAFSA — Free Application for Federal Student Aid — at the federal level this year, our DACC Foundation is deep into Scholarship Application season. The Foundation team has been visiting all the high schools in the area to share the good news about DACC Foundation Scholarships.
Until May 1, current and prospective students may complete one simple online application, found here: dacc.edu/scholarships, to be considered for more than one million dollars’ worth of scholarships.
While high school students are a “captive” audience, it’s harder to reach adults who also qualify for scholarship awards. Please pass the work along to your friends.
For the past three years, 100 percent of the qualified students who applied for scholarships and attended DACC received a scholarship award of some type. Nothing pleases the Foundation staff more than giving away funds provided by generous donors to support student success.
Did you know that community college graduates earn 13 percent more than those with only a high school diploma, and 49 percent of all bachelor’s degrees are from community college transfers?
Finally, while there are no special events planned to celebrate Career and Technical Education Month — also February — CTE is a primary focus every day at DACC.
From health careers to manufacturing to agriculture, we are your one-stop shop for career training — while you work on getting your high school diploma; after high school; professional development to advance your career; and/or retraining to move on to another career.
In the health careers area, which has competitive enrollment, applications are due March 15 for the Radiologic Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Echocardiography degree programs. Each of these program cohorts begin during the summer semester.
Nursing and Health Information Technology applications are due at the end of May, and Cancer Registry Management applications are due at the end of June. The latter program cohorts kick off with the fall semester.
February is a busy month, but we always have time for you at DACC.
Lara L. Conklin is executive director of college relations at Danville Area Community College.