RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2008
CONTACT: Public Affairs, (919) 807-6963
NC Community College System honors top students April 16 in Raleigh
RALEIGH – Some people are born to expectations of excellence. And some -- including many of the 116 top students in North Carolina’s community colleges -- earn it by overcoming incredible hardship.
Jasmine Lloyd is one of those students – and she knows about beating the odds. Born in the United Kingdom and separated from her mother at age 11, she had no schooling after the fifth grade and struggled to survive with manual labor. Working in Spain and later in America, she looked for relief but found only grinding work and abusive voices insisting she would never amount to anything.
Two years ago, she heard different voices at South Piedmont Community College headquartered in Polkton, where she earned her GED, moved on and is now a full-time student taking pre-requisites for admission to the associate degree nursing program. "Going to college is something I dreamed about but I never thought I would get a chance," says Lloyd. "I don't want this opportunity to go to waste!"
Lloyd is one of three students honored with the opportunity to speak to the Academic Excellence Luncheon on Wednesday, April 16 at the Hilton North Raleigh. The annual ceremony, which draws more than 600 people from every part of North Carolina, honors the top two students in each of the 58 community colleges, chosen by the colleges for academic performance.
The luncheon begins at 11:45, with the awards ceremony scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.
Students will receive the Academic Excellence certificate and medal from System President H. Martin Lancaster and Mrs. Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, Chair of the State Board of Community Colleges, assisted by Dr. Patricia A. Skinner, President of Gaston College and this year’s President of the North Carolina Community College Presidents’ Association. A colorful and festive gathering, the luncheon features performances from community college musicians in a packed hall festooned with huge banners from all 58 community colleges.
The three student speeches are always the highlight. In addition to Ms. Lloyd, the speakers are:
- Nancy Epley of Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton. She is pursuing an associate degree in the Biology college transfer program and also an associate in applied science degree in Environmental Science Technology at Western Piedmont Community College. This month, she was named to the second team of the USA Today Community College All-Stars, and she is a 2008 New Century Scholar for North Carolina, an exceptional honor for an outstanding student.
- Zavier Mosley of Martin Community College in Williamston. He is enrolled in the Commercial Refrigeration Technology associate degree program.
This is the eleventh Academic Excellence Awards ceremony, which was created following a suggestion of the Presidents’ to recognize and encourage scholarship among the more than 800,000 students of the North Carolina Community College System. President Lancaster has presided over each of the luncheons, but this is his last one. He retires at the end of the month.
The Robert W. Scott Leadership Award, sponsored by the Presidents’ Association, will be presented to Demetrius Sykes, a college transfer graduate of Wayne Community College now attending East Carolina University.
The North Carolina Community College System enrolls more than 800,000 students in 58 comprehensive community colleges. Internationally recognized for the scope and quality of its programs, the system is North Carolina's primary provider of workforce preparation and adult education.
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