Chelsea High School Students Learn about Bunker Hill Community College at the Go Higher! College Fair

Monday, November 28, 2016

By 2020, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 72% of all jobs in Massachusetts will require some amount of college education.

BHCC faculty, staff and students attended a Go Higher! College Fair in the Chelsea High School gymnasium on November 16. At the event, they helped high school students learn about their options for higher education at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC). BHCC is the largest community college in the Commonwealth. It is one of 29 state institutions of higher education.

“The students I interacted with were interested in biology, engineering, some pre-veterinary, communications, criminal justice and mathematics,” said Jill Tyburski, Admissions Counselor, Enrollment Management and Admissions. BHCC STEM Academic Coordinator Joye Thaller, Professor Belinda Kadambi from the Science and Engineering Department and TRIO Talent Search Director Austin Mirasolo were also at the event to greet attendees and answer questions.

BHCC student and Admissions Assistant Abdalla Bin Hariz spoke at the event about his experience attending BHCC. “I picked Bunker Hill Community College because of its community base and because it helped me to make a smooth transition from high school to college,” said Bin Hariz. The general concentration major plans to graduate in May 2017 and study international affairs at a four-year college or university.

Bin Hariz attended high school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He began studying at BHCC in 2015, and has served as a student mentor. “It was challenging when I came here. Being a mentor helped me develop my leadership skills,” said Bin Hariz.

Go Higher! is an initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. It brings Massachusetts public college and university students into local high schools for a student-to-student exchange about choosing a college and a major, landing internships, navigating campus life and more.