ICCTA Pacesetter Award
2004 Recipient


Bonita Bear
Human services technician
Cunningham Children's Home
Parkland College (2000)

"When I divorced, my three sons and I left the only home we had ever known," recalls Bonita Bear.

"Times were tough. I worked two low-paying jobs trying to support my family, with no possibility of advancement.

"Then I made a decision that I should have made years ago. I decided to enroll in classes at the local community college," she says.

Bear was one of the first students to enroll in Parkland College's human services technician program in 1999.

Bonita Bear accepts ICCTA's 2004 Pacesetter Award.
Bonita Bear accepts ICCTA's 2004
Pacesetter Award.

Her Crisis Intervention training was put to the test in March 2000, when she saved the life of an elderly woman and a group of school children and helped apprehend a murder suspect.

"I truly believe that things happen for a reason," she says. "It is because of a positive community college experience that I am here today. "Parkland College has given me the courage, confidence and inspiration to continue my educational journey."

For additional information on ICCTA's Pacesetter Award, please contact Kim Villanueva at 217-528-2858, ext. 1.



Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org



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