Malak Elkady was among those who were skeptical of community colleges. She fell into the dreaded “stigma” that community colleges weren’t as good as four-year universities.
However, when she didn’t land a scholarship to a four-year college, Elkady found herself still dreaming of leaving her native Egypt and studying in America. It eventually led her to touring Dallas College’s Richland Campus in August 2023 and she discovered what many do when they give community college a chance.
“I thought, ‘This is a nice place,’” she said. “Then, when I started working for student media, I was like, ‘This was where I was meant to be. These are the people I need to be surrounded with at the beginning of my journey, starting a new life here in America.’
“Just being surrounded by people who have stories and have gone through struggles — it was like, we all share the same story and yet our stories are so different.”
Elkady joins the long list of success stories who have called Dallas College home. She was a featured speaker at the Dallas College Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 12, as she was among 20 students who attended the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention in New Orleans.
In all, Dallas College students brought home 10 first-place awards, nine second-place awards, six third-place awards and 13 honorable mentions.
At the Board of Trustees meeting, Elkady, who is the editor-in-chief of the Richland Chronicle, spoke along with another student media member, Ti-Ying Li, the editor-in-chief of the North Lake News-Register.
Li said the highlight of the convention for him was listening to a keynote address from investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell. Mitchell’s work has helped put four Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members behind bars as well as a serial killer.
“It was a fantastic narrative with great determination to solve the murders,” Li said. “(The work) helps the victims’ family and brings justice for them.”
Dallas College Proud
For Elkady, it was a moment to reflect on the benefits of being a community college student.
“People in community colleges often want to prove themselves a lot more than those who go to university straight away,” she said. “Being in student media is also part of that — it’s proving to myself, to others, and to people who do believe in that stigma that no, just because it’s a community college doesn’t make it any less than a university.
“I’ve probably learned so much more here than I would have if I had gone straight to university. I’ve learned so many new skills, met new people, made a lot of friends … I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Future Plans
Elkady and Li are both on the path to success, although neither are planning to pursue journalism full time.
Instead, Elkady plans to become a mechanical engineer and is part of the Texas A&M Engineering Academy through Dallas College. Li is considering a couple of options, ranging from opening an online bakery company to getting a fully remote job with an IT company so he can travel.
“My dream job is to travel the world while also working remotely for an IT company,” he said.
Meanwhile, Elkady said working for a newspaper was part of her “American Dream” and there are several lessons learned that will apply to her future endeavors.
“Journalism teaches multiple skills that can help in any field,” she said. “Journalism and engineering seem like complete opposites, but everything I’m learning now will apply to my career.”
