Issue link: http://howardcc.uberflip.com/i/1059479
PROFILES 18 Howard Community College Benjamin M. Mobley, Vice President and Relationship Strategist, PNC Wealth Management For HCC Educational Foundation board member Benjamin Mobley, Howard Community College is an ideal place to volunteer and mentor, as it enhances the lives of those in the immediate community. Mobley reflects on the role of the college in giving young people—particularly underserved students—a launch-pad. "It gives them the chance to grow, and their growth helps us all." Mobley points to his own story: growing up in his North Philadelphia neighborhood, he saw few young people going to college. He benefited from involved parents whose ambitions and goals for their son greatly contributed to his educational and career success. Today he serves as a vice president and relationship strategist for PNC Wealth Management, a business that strongly supports employee involvement in the community. When asked how important a consideration education plays in PNC's charitable contributions, Mobley doesn't hesitate: "It's our number one priority." That priority is reflected in PNC's support of HCC events, scholarships, and a "Grow Up Great" grant for the Children's Learning Center Playground Project, which features a musical play structure designed by HCC engineering students and enjoyed by inquisitive preschoolers. PNC also partnered with four other banks to fund HCC's new Multicultural Banking and Finance Training program for bilingual students, a collaboration that benefited the community as a whole. With 23 percent of Howard County residents speaking a language other than English at home, the program offers banking and financial services career training to the county's bilingual speakers. Serving on the foundation board also offers opportunities to meet and mentor HCC students, including those enrolled in Howard P.R.I.D.E., a success initiative aimed at increasing retention and graduation rates for Black male students. Mobley offers advice to those who are the first in their families to attend college, reminding them: "It's not how you begin, it's how you finish." Mobley is a strong believer in legacy building. He hopes that enhancing and supporting programs at HCC will lead to a future generation that does the same for others. WHY GIVE? "It [Howard Community College] gives them the chance to grow, and their growth helps us all." — Benjamin Mobley