Skip to content
‘Souls Shot Portrait Project’ Honors Those Lost to Gun Violence
From a cherubic child to a middle-aged veteran and more, their faces and stories are memorialized in the “Souls Shot Portrait Project,” an exhibition on display through September 17 at Bucks County Community College’s Gallery at Lower Bucks Campus. The project, on display in Bucks County for the first time, pairs fine artists with families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, creating deeply personal portraits that honor the unique lives of the victims. Speakers at the August 28 opening reception included Bucks County District Attorney Joe Kahn, Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler, and several people who shared stories about loved ones taken too soon. The gallery, which is free and open to the public, is located at the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks in Bristol, Pa.
Youth Commissioner of Philadelphia Makayla Myers listens to speakers at the opening reception for the “Souls Shot Portrait Project” at Bucks County Community College’s Gallery at Lower Bucks Campus. Myers, 23 years old, told the dozens in attendance about the shooting deaths of her boyfriend, best friend, and two other loved ones, several of whom are memorialized in the exhibition that runs through September 17.
Walter Mims (foreground), executive director of Neighborhood First, awaits his turn to speak at the opening reception for the “Souls Shot Portrait Project” at Bucks County Community College’s Gallery at Lower Bucks Campus. Mims runs the Bristol-based nonprofit aimed at preventing gun violence by providing mentoring, monitoring, and guidance to youth. The portraits, honoring those lost to or affected by gun violence, are on display through September 17 at the College’s Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks.
A visitor to the Gallery at Lower Bucks reads the story of a veteran who lost his life to gun violence. It’s among dozens of victims remembered in the “Souls Shot Portrait Project” at Bucks County Community College’s Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks Campus in Bristol, Pa., on display through September 17.
Visitors to the Gallery at Lower Bucks Campus examine an interactive display that tells the story of a young man lost to gun violence as part of the “Souls Shot Portrait Project” on display through September 17. The project pairs fine artists with families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, creating deeply personal portraits that honor the unique lives of the victims. The Gallery, which is free and open to the public, is located at Bucks County Community College’s Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus in Bristol, Pa.
Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler (left) and District Attorney Joe Kahn (right) greet Bucks County Community College President & CEO Patrick M. Jones (middle) at the opening reception for the “Souls Shot Portrait Project” at the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks. The project pairs fine artists with families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, creating deeply personal portraits that honor the unique lives of the victims.
Photos by Mel Evans for Bucks County Community College
Firefighters are Ready to Serve After Graduation Ceremony
Bucks County Community College celebrated its most recent firefighter graduates with an August 13 ceremony at the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks. A total of 19 volunteer firefighters completed Basic Fire Academy Training at the Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center in Croydon and earned national certifications, enabling them to help fill the critical shortage of first responders. Training included a structural burn session, fighting a controlled blaze that replicated a real-life emergency. Steve Coyle of Yardley, a volunteer with the Yardley Makefield Fire Department, was recognized for his leadership with the outstanding student award. Bucks County Community College is the largest provider of fire and emergency services training and certification in Pennsylvania, training approximately 45,000 first responders annually in all 67 counties in the Commonwealth.
Friends, family, and fellow first responders attended the graduation ceremony for the most recent firefighter graduates at Bucks County Community College’s Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks. The 19 volunteers earned national certifications to better serve their communities.
Recent graduates of Bucks County Community College’s Basic Fire Academy Training show off their certificates of completion after an August 13 ceremony at the Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks. The 19 first-responders volunteer with fire departments in Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Steve Coyle of Yardley (center), a volunteer firefighter with the Yardley-Makefield Fire Department, earned the Outstanding Student award for his leadership among 19 first responders who graduated August 13 from Bucks County Community College’s Basic Fire Academy Training. He was congratulated after the ceremony at the Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks by Patrick M. Jones, Ph.D. (left), the College’s President and CEO, and Ronni Fuchs, Esq. (right), chair of the College’s Board of Trustees.
Volunteer firefighters prepare a ladder to fight a controlled structural burn at the Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center in Croydon this summer. The hands-on preparation was part of Bucks County Community College’s Basic Fire Academy Training course, in which 19 first responders earned national certifications to better protect their communities.
Volunteer firefighters train a firehose on a blaze in a controlled structural burn at the Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center in Croydon this summer. The hands-on preparation was part of Bucks County Community College’s Basic Fire Academy Training course, in which 19 first responders earned national certifications to better protect their communities.
Volunteer firefighters participate in a controlled structural burn at the Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center in Croydon this summer. The hands-on preparation was part of Bucks County Community College’s Basic Fire Academy Training course, in which 19 first responders earned national certifications to better protect their communities.
(Photo Credit: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Visitors Flocked to ‘Birdhouse Bacchanal’ in Outdoor Art Contest
Bucks County Community College students (left-right) Ali Vafaee of Princeton, Ryan Roberts of Bensalem, and Monique Perry of Churchville accepted a $500 check from Warrington Township and Gateway Kia on August 14, joined by Clifford Eberly (right), the College’s senior manager of galleries and exhibitions. The students created “Birdhouse Bacchanal” in their Intro to Sculpture class, which was the top vote-getter in this summer’s outdoor sculpture exhibition at Warrington’s Lions Pride Park. It now becomes the first work in the township’s permanent outdoor collection. (PHOTO: Mel Evans for Bucks County Community College)
“Birdhouse Bacchanal,” a mixed media sculpture created by students in Bucks County Community College’s Introduction to Sculpture class, was the top vote-getter in the first-of-its-kind outdoor sculpture exhibition installed along the trails of Warrington’s Lions Pride Park this summer. The township presented a $500 check, courtesy of Gateway KIA, to the artists on August 14 to purchase the sculpture as the first work in the park’s permanent collection. The exhibition, installed along the park’s walking trails, showcased three collaborative sculptures created by Bucks students and two works by alumni.
Students from Bucks County Community College's Intro to Sculpture Class show off their mixed media creation “Birdhouse Bacchanal,” which was chosen by visitors to Warrington’s Lions Pride Park to be purchased as the first piece for the township’s permanent outdoor art collection. Pictured (left-right) are Ali Vafaee of Princeton, Monique Perry of Churchville, Dave Miller of Yardley, and Ryan Roberts of Bensalem. (PHOTO: Mel Evans for Bucks County Community College)
“Tapestry,” a mixed media sculpture created by students in Bucks County Community College’s Sculpture Foundry class, was one of five works that were part of an outdoor exhibition this summer at Warrington’s Lions Pride Park. Pictured with their creation are (left-right) Sunny Howard of Doylestown, Bill Sticker of Warminster, Bob Rauch of Upper Dublin, Cyna Worthman of Washington Crossing, and Chuck Bennett of Wrightstown. (PHOTO: Mel Evans for Bucks County Community College)
Charis Hasney, left, and Chuck Bennett of Wrightstown show off “Bucky,” which they created with their fellow students in a recent 3D Design Fundamentals Class at Bucks County Community College. The mixed media sculpture was among five works by students and alumni on display this summer along the walking trails at Warrington's Lion's Pride Park. (PHOTO: Mel Evans for Bucks County Community College)
Storytellers Wanted: Search Begins for the Best Short Fiction Tale
Bucks County Community College is searching for the best short fiction tale in the county, College officials announced, with the winning scribes getting the opportunity to read alongside a well-known author.
Dennis Tafoya, author of “Dope Thief” and other crime novels, will be the final judge, said Elizabeth Luciano, the language and literature professor who is the director of the contest.
“The first-, second-, and third-place winners will be honored at a reading in November on the Newtown Campus, and will be joined by Mr. Tafoya,” Luciano said. “We are thrilled to have a bestselling novelist as our final judge and guest.”
Tafoya, who lives in Bucks County, is the author of three crime novels set in and around his native Philadelphia. “Dope Thief,” originally published in 2009, was republished in 2025 in conjunction with its release as an Emmy-nominated series on Apple TV. Tafoya is also the author of the novels “The Wolves of Fairmount Park” and “The Poor Boy’s Game.” His short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Philadelphia Noir and “Best American Mystery Stories.”
Luciano noted that the contest is open to Bucks County residents over the age of 18 who have not previously placed first. Bucks County Community College employees are not eligible. The top three winners will receive honoraria of $200, $100, and $50.
The deadline for submissions is noon Thursday October 8. Stories must be previously unpublished, including in blogs and online platforms, and must be submitted online. Use of artificial intelligence in any form is strictly prohibited. Complete contest rules and the link for submissions can be found by visiting the short fiction contest website. A short fiction contest for high-school students will be held in the spring.
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest receives funding and administrative support from the School of Language and Literature at Bucks County Community College. For further information, contact Professor Elizabeth Luciano at Elizabeth.Luciano@bucks.edu.
Professor Mary Dura Earns Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award
Longtime Bucks Nursing Educator Honored for Excellence, Student Support, and Real-World Instruction Mary Dura, Ed.D., who has taught nursing at Bucks County Community College for more than 20 years and worked in the profession for many years before that, has received the prestigious 2026 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.
The honor reflects her long-term commitment to high-quality instruction and student success and celebrates teaching that is challenging, clear, and lasting in its effect on a student's worldview.
Dura, who earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing and Master of Science in nursing at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and her doctor of education at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, said she was shocked and deeply humbled by the news.
“My immediate feeling was gratitude—to my students, colleagues, mentors, family, and the nursing profession itself,” said Dura. “Teaching nursing has never felt like simply a job to me. It is a privilege and a responsibility, so to be recognized for something that means so much to me personally was incredibly moving.”
Arguably her biggest fan, her young daughter, was by her side when she received the award.
“One of the most meaningful parts of the celebration was sharing it with my 10-year-old daughter, Julia,” Dura recalled. “She can be a little shy, so I was especially touched when she unexpectedly decided to walk up to the stage with me. Seeing the pride in her eyes made an unforgettable day even more special.”
Dura’s transition into higher education began unexpectedly during graduate school when a professor encouraged her to teach a health assessment course. For years, she balanced clinical nursing practice with teaching, bringing real-world patient scenarios directly into her lectures. She eventually transitioned to full-time education to make a broader impact by preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals.
In the classroom, Dura uses dynamic methods such as case studies, high-fidelity simulations, guided discussions, and clinical practice to help students build strong critical thinking and clinical judgment skills. Emphasizing adaptable learning styles, she meets students where they are while ensuring they master modern healthcare demands, including patient safety, evidence-based care, and emerging technology.
“Without question, the feedback that means the most is hearing from former students who tell me they felt prepared when caring for patients during difficult moments or that something they learned in class helped them make a safe clinical decision,” said Dura. “Nursing is such a human profession, and knowing that students feel more capable, compassionate, and confident in caring for others is deeply rewarding.”
Bucks County Community College offers an associate degree in nursing that prepares graduates to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) to become licensed registered nurses. To learn more, visit our associate degree nursing website, email ADNursingDirector@bucks.edu, or call 215-968-8353.
Welcome to College This Fall with Destination Bucks
Advising and registration help is available August 10-24 at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Bristol, Perkasie, and Online Bucks County Community College is making it easier to enroll in college this fall with Destination Bucks, a streamlined way for students to meet one-on-one with an advisor and get registration help this August.
“After a similar successful event for the spring semester, we’re bringing it back for the fall,” said Joe Giuffre, interim director of advising. “Students can meet with an advisor, take placement tests, learn about financial aid, register for classes, and much more, while getting ready to advance their academic career.”
College staff will be available to help students fill out the free application to the college, choose courses, and navigate the registration and payment processes, added Giuffre. There will be timeslots and staff available for 20 students an hour, and in-person attendees will receive refreshments and special gifts. Most students can complete advising requirements and register for classes with just one visit.
Bucks County Community College is an open-admission, public college that offers transfer and job-ready pathways. For students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a top-ranked university, the value is clear — they can save 28%-68% on their bachelor’s degree by completing their first two years at Bucks thanks to 2+2 dual admission agreements. Bucks has been ranked among best value community colleges in Pennsylvania. Learn more at bucks.edu/save.
Destination Bucks takes place Monday – Friday, August 10–24 on the Newtown Campus, the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus at Lower Bucks in Bristol, the Upper Bucks Campus in Perkasie, and live online. Fall semester classes begin August 26, September 14, and October 19. For more information, visit our advising website. For questions, email info@bucks.edu or call 215-968-8001.
