Jill Biden

In the past, there has been a stigma surrounding community colleges, where they were seen as a less viable option because they are not four-year universities. I know differently and so do the millions of people across the country who have received an affordable, quality higher education at community college.

Community colleges are certainly one of America’s best-kept secrets.

Women who are interested in pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees – especially in STEM fields – benefit from starting at a community college. They offer an affordable education, with flexible schedules and degrees close to home.

As a community college professor for over twenty years, I’ve seen the determination, resilience and dedication of countless students. Regardless of circumstances, they show up. They work hard. They believe anything is possible.

Because of the flexibility that community colleges afford, many students do not have to choose between an education and fulfilling other responsibilities – they can do both.

One of the things that make community colleges so special is they do not pick and choose their students – they work with all students.

Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.

In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite.

What is life but education, anyway?

All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way.

It is only the ignorant who despise education.

Economists report that a college education adds many thousands of dollars to a man’s lifetime income – which he then spends sending his son to college.

Women who are interested in pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees – especially in STEM fields – benefit from starting at a community college. They offer an affordable education, with flexible schedules and degrees close to home.

The function of the university is not simply to teach bread-winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization.

All of life is a constant education.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

To educate the peasantry, three things are needed: schools, schools and schools.

Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read, he will be the man who has not learned how to learn.

Higher education cannot be a luxury reserved just for a privileged few. It is an economic necessity for every family. And every family should be able to afford it.

Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.

Women who earn a certificate or degree from a community college, especially in STEM-related field, will be ready to move into a good-paying job in the growing global economy. Community colleges also offer mentorship and support that goes far beyond the classroom.