A second group of college graduates is now featured on local billboards, showing how higher education has improved their lives. It's part of an effort launched last summer called "QC Colleges, Raising the QC by 4,171 Degrees."
Johnna Kerres, from the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, says the billboards are the result of a partnership of seven institutions that want to show their value to this community. The first group of graduates included Joe Gomez who graduated from the community colleges, and now owns Los Primos Mexican Grill in Davenport.
"He had some barriers and different issues in the past. Then once he attended the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, our culinary program, that really was what he needed to motivate him to kind of turn his life around. Now he's a successful business owner in the community and gives back to the community in that way."
The seven partner institutions are Black Hawk College, St. Ambrose University, Palmer College, Trinity College of Nursing, the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Augustana College, and Western Illinois University.
Kerres says the second group of successful graduates is featured on digital billboards near North Park and South Park malls
The number in the title, "4,171" refers to the number of students who graduated last year from the 7 institutions.
