Community College Student to Make National Presentation

On Tuesday, April 18, Sherry will make a ten to fifteen minute oral report and will answer questions about her poster presentation that details her research abstract on Sickle Cell Anemia.  As a person living with Sickle Cell, a disease that afflicts primarily African-Americans, Sherry hopes her presentation on the different effects natural and synthetic agents have on Sickle Cell could one day lead to a cure.

Sherry is a "Bridges to the Future Student" at Roanoke–Chowan, studying Biotechnology with a 3.6 GPA.  After graduation in May she plans to transfer to East Carolina University, eventually get her doctorate and go into biomedical research.  Sherry began her higher education career at A&T State University, but says a housing problem led her back home and to Roanoke-Chowan.  She says that was the best thing that could have happened.  "That move really opened a lot of doors for me," she insists.  "At Roanoke-Chowan I found supportive instructors and others who have helped me and led me to people who are dedicated to research and have served as mentors for me."

Sherry’s instructors and community college administrators are extremely proud of her achievement. "Sherry is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished at our community colleges," says Mary Bailey, program coordinator for the North Carolina Transition Program in the Biomedical Sciences (NCTPBS).  "It is extremely rare for a community college student to be a presenter at this conference, but Sherry will definitely impress them."

The North Carolina Community College System and the University of North Carolina General Administration are partners in the NCTPBS, working to increase the number of minority community college students entering careers in biomedical research.  Dr. Carolyn Girardeau at NCCCS and Dr. Richard Linton at UNC-GA are Co-Principal Investigator/Program Director and Principal Investigator for the NCTPBS, respectively.  They agree Sherry is a real success story for the program and feel her transition to a baccalaureate institution will be a smooth one, thanks in part to the work of their program.

As part of her prize, conference fees and all of Sherry’s travel expenses, including three days at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, are paid by the conference.  Her proud parents, Vernon and Annie Harrell, were at first reluctant to let their 19-year old daughter venture from their home in Harrellsville to Washington.  But they relented since Ms. Bailey will accompany Sherry.

For some, this trip could just be "fun in the big city." For Sherry, however, this is another big step toward her goal.  She says her community college experience gives her a "firm foundation" on which she is building her educational career and her future in biomedical research.

Click for a photograph from the presentation.

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