MHCC STUDENTS VISIT OXFORD IN UK

From March 11-16, three Mt. Hood students represented MHCC at Oxford University, and here is the tea – that is, the inside story of their British trip.

Joe Davis and Aye Chan May were selected to attend the Oxford Consortium on Human Rights, and were joined by their classmate, Solaman Ibe. The three students come from very different backgrounds and brought an element of diversity to the group. 

At the seminar, students from around the United States form groups and create presentations about human rights issues in their particular area. This year’s group of attendees was the third group from MHCC to attend.

Since the first group of Mt. Hood students attended in 2017, Janet Campbell, MHCC political science instructor, has been involved in selecting the attendees. She accompanied the selected students as an adviser both in 2018 and this year.

Campbell said opportunities such as this are important to students because it allows them to see that they, too, can become whatever they desire. The goals they want to reach sometimes seem unattainable, and having the chance to meet others who met their goals – in a setting such as the Oxford Consortium – can be impactful and inspiring.

Currently, the process for being selected is for an MHCC student to be recommended by a teacher, and then Campbell reaches out to that individual. In the future, she would like to make a student application available online and allow for teacher recommendations, rather than nominations. 

In order to be considered, Mt. Hood students must be at least 18 years of age, and must have a good academic record. A faculty member must recommend them, and they must submit a short essay explaining why they want to attend.

Campbell primarily bases her selection on the essay portion of the application, and looks forward to continuing the program.

Obtaining funding for the March trip was no easy feat as the request for travel was not approved until December. Campbell will ask for Social Science department support to continue the program, as the MHCC Foundation “does not wish to consistently fund it,” she said.