The California Community Colleges’ ICanGoToCollege.com (I CAN) campaign is proud to announce its original podcast, EDUCATE. ELEVATE., has been honored with the Best in Show award by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) – a prestigious recognition of excellence in design and communication among community and technical colleges across the nation.
The podcast first received Gold in Fall 2024 with an NCMPR (Regional) Medallion Award, which was selected from entries across the western United States. This award was followed by top national honors from more than 1,700 entries in spring 2025, earning both a Gold NCMPR Paragon Award and Best in Show for the information shared, relevance of material, creative vehicle for messaging, and storytelling.
The award-winning entry focused on the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional and opened doors for a new standard in American education. The episode featured California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber; Board of Governors member Pamela Haynes; and California State University President Dr. Luke Wood.
Now in its second season, the EDUCATE. ELEVATE. Podcast offers valuable insights for all students while focused on inspiring Black and African American students to explore a community college pathway. It aims to uplift and empower the next generation of Black leaders by shining a light on the transformative, affordable, high-quality education offered by California’s community colleges. Season 3 is scheduled to launch in September 2025 with episodes planned to further support the goals of Vision 2030 and kick-off with Artificial Intelligence, and the Career Education Masterplan.
Please share this podcast with your friends, family, colleagues and community. Subscribe to the ICanGoToCollege.com (I CAN) YouTube channel for all the latest episodes, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart and Podbean: https://podcast.icangotocollege.com/.
