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Press Release

Street Named for Bunker Hill Community College Graduate Killed in Afghanistan

Friday, August 5, 2011

Governor Deval L. Patrick has signed legislation to name a street in Salem, Massachusetts, in honor of a Bunker Hill Community College alumnus killed in action in Afghanistan. James A. Ayube, a Salem resident, graduated from Bunker Hill Community College in 2007 with an associate degree in sociology.

Sergeant Ayube, a U.S. Army medic, was killed by a suicide bomber during a combat mission on December 8, 2010.  The street, Sergeant James Ayube Memorial Drive, will commemorate Sergeant Ayube’s service to the nation.  Ayube, 25, was the recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He had served previously in the Iraq War.

Lloyd Sheldon Johnson, a professor in the Behavioral Science Department at the College, remembered Ayube as “a wonderful and sensitive student who had a focus and a force that were infectious.” 

Bunker Hill Community College currently enrolls more than 400 veterans of the U.S. armed forces.  The College offers a seminar geared to the concerns of veterans, and has recently opened a Veterans Center to help student veterans with GI Bill benefits, academics and health services.

Media Contact:
Leslie Ouellette, Executive Director, Integrated Marketing and Communications,
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-336-5054; Email: leslie.ouellette@bhcc.edu


About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.