Sarah Dawood, a Community College Initiative Program participant from Pakistan, studied Business Administration and Management at Miami Dade College in the pilot year of the CCC program in 2010. As a divorcee, a woman and a mother of two, Sarah struggled to achieve her dreams in Pakistan – her lifelong dream was “to study in a college as a student someday.”

The CCI Program gave her that opportunity. She enrolled in numerous business, marketing, and management classes, while still finding the time to create social media platforms that involved her cohort and allowed for communication beyond the program. She took many of the younger students under her wing – helping them with integration, English preparation and overall positive reinforcement.

Her successes were numerous, not only did she excel, but she finished the program with a cumulative GPA of 4.0. Upon her return to Pakistan, Sarah put her education to work – letting her newly honed skills in communication, marketing and management land her a coveted position with a huge multinational airline. Her success keeps growing, and she is currently working “for a leading multinational company as Supervisor Internal Communications, Corporate Affairs, for our Pakistan affiliate.” Sarah attributes her confidence and success to the CCI Program and every participant, staff member and professor with whom she worked.