Hillsborough Community College Honors Students Selected For Community College Global Affairs Fellowship

TAMPA, FL — Hillsborough Community College announced that two honors students, Jordan Reeves and Juan Penagos, have been accepted to participate in the Community College Global Affairs Fellowship in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The Community College Global Affairs Fellowship is a new fully paid summer enrichment and mentorship program that seeks to expand access to global education opportunities and international affairs careers to community college, transfer and non-traditional students.

A partnership between Meridian International Center, Global Community College Transfers and Community Colleges for International Development, the CCGAF provides evidence-based skill-building, mentorship and 1:1 coaching, as well as ongoing access to networks and career support that global affairs students and professionals need to grow in their work, advance to higher levels of leadership and become decision-makers on the world stage.

It is funded through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Community College Global Affairs Fellowship has two primary components: a virtual 1:1 mentorship program and a two-week in-person summer enrichment program.

The virtual mentorship program will begin on May 30 and run through Aug. 16. This component of the fellowship is organized by Global Community College Transfers. Fellows are paired with current international affairs practitioners, many of whom were community college/transfer students. The mentorship program consists of online weekly workshops on topics like resume writing and networking skills, routine mentor-mentee meetings and completion of several small assignments contributing to the fellow’s professional and personal development.

The summer enrichment program will take place in Washington, DC from Sunday, June 18 to Saturday, July 1. This component is organized by Meridian International Center. Activities will include an interactive diplomatic skills training course, briefings on how U.S. foreign policy is made, career panel discussions, site visits to federal agencies, networking sessions, visits to cultural institutions, an evening reception and more.

Jordan and Juan are among 30 fellows chosen out of over 140 applicants.

"I have always believed that tremendous accomplishments require extraordinary people, which I have never seen myself as. However, success is not impossible to reach and if you are persistent in improving yourself, then it is no doubt right around the corner," Reeves said.

“HCC has been a land of opportunities for me, and I am extremely happy to now join the CCGAF program. This is an opportunity that will help me in my career, but I also hope I can open the door for other HCC students in the future,” Penagos said.