I am Joao Washington Bezerra, and I am originally from Brazil. All my life, I was taught to be involved and help people. In Brazil, I served as a volunteer at a school in a poor community.
After being a stay-at-home mother for five years, I enrolled in college when my son began kindergarten. I felt that the time had come to invest in my intellect and the future security of my family by pursuing a degree.
When I decided to return to school as a mother and working adult, I feared that I would be unable to keep up with the work. However, during my first semester at Blue Ridge Community College, I realized I had made the right decision.
Aside from my mother, education has been the only constant in my life. My mother and I were homeless for a year. I began my senior year living out of a motel. I walked to restaurants to turn in homework assignments. I sacrificed. I cried.
Gary Heisey’s contributions to the missions of Blue Ridge Community College and the NC Community College System, as well as to the business development and economic growth of Henderson and Transylvania Counties, have been profound during his tenure as director of the Blue Ridge Community College
One of the hardest choices in life is choosing which college to attend. I could have gone to any college, but I started looking at community colleges for financial reasons.
I walked into Blue Ridge Community College with a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. What I didn’t expect was the level of encouragement and assistance I’d receive from the faculty.
