Prince George’s County Community College Student
Wins DREAM Big for College Video Contest

DREAM Big for College Video Contest is one of several components to Achieving the Dream’s new student-centered “DREAM Big for College” campaign that is fast-tracking community college students’ voices right to the ear of policy-makers and influencers.

Dallas, TX (March 5, 2012) – On Friday, Achieving the Dream – a national nonprofit leading the nation’s most comprehensive non-governmental reform effort for community college student success in higher education history - announced the grand prize winner of the inaugural DREAM Big for College Video Contest: Jessica Curtis, a student at Prince George’s Community College, who will receive a $1,500 scholarship prize for her winning inspirational video.

The DREAM Big for College Video Contestis one component of a much larger Achieving the Dream student-centered campaign called DREAM Big for College.  The campaign is designed to use multiple platforms to engage community college students in the national discussion about what it takes for them to stay in school and earn their college credential. Launched January 2012 with a T-shirt design contest, the campaign is fast-tracking students’ voices right to the ear of policy-makers and influencers. The campaign will continue throughout 2012 with other student-oriented calls for action. 

“Almost half of all undergraduate students in our country go to community college and the nation needs to hear what they have to say about what is working on their campuses and keeping them on track for graduation so that we can learn from their experiences,” explains Lauren Lewis, Assistant Director of Communications at Achieving the Dream. “This competition is answering that need, and the Achieving the Dream Network will make sure their voices are heard.”

The DREAM Big for College Video Contest challenged students to convey, in 3-minutes or less, what’s working at their college to help them stay on track and finish what they started. Forty-four students from 17 Achieving the Dream Institutions submitted videos to the DREAM Big for College Video Contest through Facebook. Winners were announced at D.R.E.A.M. – Achieving the Dream’s 2012 Annual Meeting on Student Success in Dallas, Texas on Friday, March 2^nd.

Jessica Curtis, a student at Prince George's Community College in Maryland, was named Grand Prize Winner and will receive a $1,500 scholarship for her video focusing on advising, counseling, and tutoring services at her college. Julian Butler, a student at Tarrant County College in Texas, was named Second Place Winner, earned the commendation of “Best Production,” and will receive an iPad2. Ricardo Ramirez of East Los Angeles Community College and Angeline McGee of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas both earned Honorable Mention and will receive $250 gift cards for books and school supplies. Ricardo’s video was named “Most Inspirational” and Angeline’s was named “Achieving the Dream Staff Pick.” Additionally, Alicia Baldwin of Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana earned an iPad2 for securing the most “Likes” on the DREAM Big for College Video Competition’s Facebook page.

The video competition was produced through the combined efforts of two organizations dedicated to helping students complete their post high-school education – Achieving the Dream and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), and through ISKME’s CompletionMatters.org initiative. Achieving and the Dream and ISKME share a commitment to innovation in education and find that new technologies like online video and social media are important vehicles for awareness and change. Organizers raised awareness for the video contest through social media channels, including Twitter (#dream4college and #dream2012), student and campus networks, and websites (including CompletionMatters.org, AchievingtheDream.org, and StudentMentor.org).

“Hearing directly from students about what’s working at their colleges, given the challenges they face in their lives, is so inspiring,” says Amee Evans Godwin, Director of Strategic Initiatives at ISKME. “It’s important for other students to hear, and to get involved in telling their own stories.”