2016 Academic Excellence Award
In the fall of 2010, I found myself being told that I would be laid off from a job that had
afforded my wife, son, and I, a comfortable living. I now was relying on unemployment
benefits, unable to pay my bills, and competing with many other unemployed people for very
It is by no means an overstatement to claim that Wilkes Community College (WCC) has reinvented my world, shaped who I am, and molded my future. At WCC, I have been immersed in a variety of courses that have altered my perspective.
I was born and raised in Germany, where I survived a battle with cancer but had limited options for furthering my education or career. So in 2011 I moved to the United States with hope and big expectations.
In 2003, I was a traditional student at a four-year university; however, I did not have a very well thought out plan concerning where I was headed in life. I could not afford $16,000 per year tuition as an out-of-state student, so I decided to join the United States Army.
My high school experience has been unorthodox. I am an early college student, and I have been enrolled at Vance-Granville Community College since fall of 2012. My experience has been thrilling; I would never change my decision to attend the early college.
Fifteen years ago, I moved to the United States from Russia, and found myself immersed in a culture unfamiliar to me while struggling to learn a new language I could barely speak.
Two years ago, I made a decision that would change my life for the best. I decided to go to Stanly Community College (SCC) to obtain my associate degree in Criminal Justice. I am now in my last semester at SCC, and I have had a great experience thus far in my college career. I have come a long
Before I began classes at Southwestern Community College, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
When Stacy, a single mother of three boys, relocated to Columbus County a few years ago, she thought she would easily find work utilizing her bookkeeping and office administration skills gained in her previous employment, but quickly realized her opportunities were limited with only a high school
I am a nontraditional student in the sense that my pursuit of a degree at South Piedmont Community College is taking place much later in life than most students. A few years ago I retired from a career in engineering, a career that was professionally satisfying and afforded me the opportunity to
I arrived in the United States on December 31, 2013 with extremely limited English skills. Originally from Albania, I moved here to join my husband who I had met when he was teaching at a local University.
Johna Barbour enrolled at Sampson Community College in the fall of 2014, following a 16-year career as a Medical Transcriptionist. The shift from manual to automated transcription led to a decline in demand for transcription services, which resulted in a layoff in May of 2014.
As I begin my final semester at RCCC, I am 100 pounds lighter and am astonished at my academic and personal growth. I entered college with a love for numbers but am leaving with a much greater appreciation of who I am. Throughout my journey, my instructors have introduced me to an eclectic worl
Karishma Desai came to RCC as a Rockingham County Early College High School (RECHS) student.
In 2009, I dropped out of high school in the 11th grade because I simply lost interest in going. I began working here and there, never really being able to hold down a job.
I am a second-year student at Roanoke-Chowan Community College with plans to graduate in May 2016 with an Associate Degree in Business Administration. in 1976, I attended Roanoke-Chowan Technical Institute majoring in Executive Secretarial Science.
This is my fifth semester at Richmond Community College. When I first came here, my future felt uncertain. I was reluctant to return to a classroom setting after being homeschooled and self-taught for more than five years.
The success of Santiago Avila Ponce, a Radiography student at Randolph Community College, goes beyond his grade point average, which is excellent at 3.893. It shows up in various ways in the classroom and at clinical sites, according to his instructors.
When I started this higher education journey in spring of 2013 at 46, I really had no direction and was plagued by the fear that I would fail. I did not excel in high school and it had been over 18 years since I was in a classroom setting.
Living in Nigeria, I had a friend with Sickle-cell disease. This friend said that her nurse was a guardian angel. That nurse always put a smile on my friend’s face. It was then that I decided to focus on healthcare and getting a degree. My mother helped me get a Visa to come to America.