HCC Students Take Annapolis by Storm for Student Advocacy Day
Howard Community College (HCC) students took Annapolis by storm for Student Advocacy Day 2024; an annual, statewide event where students from Maryland's 16 community colleges share their stories with legislators and advocate for community college funding. "I'm excited to be a part of this year's Student Advocacy Day," said Kehinde (Kenny) Akinsehinwa, a business administration major.
To make the case for HCC, 13 students and ten staff members arrived in Annapolis for the 9 a.m. kickoff where sophomore Oluwatunmise (Tunmise) Eboda, SGA vice president and computer science major, was selected to share his inspiring story as the keynote. "Affordable education is an investment in our future, one where everyone has an opportunity to meet their full potential.” Tunmise’s hope is to make technology more accessible one day through his computer science and mathematics studies.
Following the kickoff, HCC students had several meetings with their legislators where they shared their stories and advocated for community college funding. Rebecca Overton, SGA secretary and treasurer and an economics and general studies major, discovered the power of her voice. In that moment, she realized she had an interest in representing her community and HCC by helping to enact laws that fully fund the college. "I was sitting in front of state delegates Courtney Watson and Natalie Ziegler when I realized I'm right where I need to be, advocating for students and my community. I saw my future in front of me, and it was like an epiphany. Thank you [HCC] for giving us the opportunity to advocate."
Joining her fellow students, SGA President Brianna Jackson, social sciences and business studies major, advocated for equitable funding for two-year colleges to support services and cohort programs. She stated, "HCC assisted me so much with my financial aid. I would like to see equitable opportunities be given to other student-athletes who have the athletic talent for Division 1 schools but need academic support to be successful."
After a busy and rewarding day that was a once in a lifetime experience for many of the students and staff, everyone returned to HCC knowing they were well represented, and their voices were heard.