An article about Atlantic Cape Community College, titled Fueling Local Futures, appeared in the Fall issue of Cape May Magazine, a Cape May-based coastal lifestyle publication with subscribers across the country. The article was written by Marjorie Preston, and focused specifically on the Cape May Court House campus, the smallest of Atlantic Cape’s three locations. It was also mentioned at length in the From the Editor letter in the issue, referencing her personal connection to Atlantic Cape during a difficult time in her life. 

“Although our subscribers are primarily people who look at Cape May as a vacation destination, I’ve always felt that it’s important to regularly include a story that speaks to and about the people who live and work here,” said Editor Kate Chadwick. “And to remind those valued visitors that every resort town everywhere has a backbone of people who make that place their home, and whose work and community spirit make that resort the destination that it is to tourists.” 

The article begins broadly with the question “Why community college?” and then hones in on exactly what Atlantic Cape provides not only for its students, but to the communities that surround its campuses. “I feel that it’s an underutilized resource for locals, and, with the CMC campus’s recent alliance with the zoo, for vacationers, too,” Ms. Chadwick said, referencing the successful Zoo Camp summer program and more generally, the Alex Ernst Memorial Education Center, home of the college’s Zoo Education Program. “Further, I wanted local people to be aware of the opportunities available to them at a local community college, particularly for the nontraditional student.” 

Atlantic Cape’s culinary program is a focus of the article, as restaurants are of course pivotal to any region with a tourism-based economy. The recent addition of the Cape May County bizHub to the CMC campus is also mentioned, with its broad range of resources available to current and potential small business owners in the community. The article was peppered with quotes from both college staff and students, and rounded out with a letter from an Atlantic Cape alumni who now works at Cape May Magazine, Cassidy Jones, who was also pivotal in getting the story published.   

“I thought it was an important story to tell because of obvious sentimental significance, being an Atlantic Cape graduate, but also because of my peers whose journeys were so positively impacted by the school,” Ms. Jones said. “I think looking back on the experience I have a lot more praise because I realize now how hard life can be, and how easy Atlantic Cape made it for people in tough situations to have access to a real education. Publishing the story in Cape May Magazine allows readers to peek behind the touristy curtain of Cape May and get a glimpse of who the people are that keep the operations running, the Cape May County workforce that is supported by local resources like Atlantic Cape." 

Content by Kate Chadwick