Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is pleased to welcome 30 international exchange students to contribute to our vibrant campus community during the 2022-2023 academic year. The 30 participants are studying at NOVA’s Annandale and Alexandria campuses as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative (CCI) Program. They will join a total of 157 participants from underserved and underrepresented global communities who are studying at nine U.S. community colleges in nine states, gaining skills and experiences needed to enter the workforce.
This year’s CCI participants studying at NOVA are from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey. They are studying business; early childhood education; media; information technology; and social services, health, and public safety.
The CCI provides scholarships to spend up to one academic year at a United States community college. Participants build technical skills and may earn certificates in their fields of study. Through professional internships, service learning, and community engagement activities, participants strengthen English language proficiency and immerse themselves in the culture and day-to-day life in the United States. Students take approximately 30 credits per year and contribute to their U.S. host communities by bringing diverse, global perspectives to classrooms, campus life and local organizations.
In addition to hosting CCI participants, NOVA proudly administers the CCI Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State in cooperation with the NOVA-led Community College Consortium (CCC). NOVA began administering the program in 2010 and became the sole administrator in 2016. Over the course of 12 years, NOVA has collectively facilitated the program for over 1,721 CCI participants at its CCC partner institutions, with 354 of these participants taking part in the CCI program at the NOVA Alexandria and Annandale campuses. NOVA is one of the few community colleges to lead a large scale Department of State program.
For further information, please contact CCI Program Director Leeza Fernand at lfernand@nvcc.edu and/or the NOVA CCI Team at CCCIP@nvcc.edu and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov.
