2016 Academic Excellence Award
My community college experience has been life changing. Upon graduating high school in 2014, I was far from eager to leave my comfort zone and attend college. My parents encouraged me to tour Pamlico Community College. From the very beginning, I was welcomed. My assigned advisor, Mr.
As a forty-something year old wife and mother of five, I got this crazy idea that I would like to be a Physical Therapist Assistant. Thinking it was impossible, I told my husband so he could bring me back to reality. Instead, he encouraged me to follow through. I drove an hour from Mount Olive
My college experience began at the age of sixteen when I enrolled in the Career and College Promise program which allows high school students to take college classes. I enrolled in the Electrical Systems Technology program under my instructor Art Fur.
I walked into my first class on shaking knees and sat down. It wasn’t long until I heard someone say "Who’s the old chick?" I looked around for a moment and realized that, at 42 years old, I am the old chick! So, I introduced myself to my younger classmates.
I was a junior in high school when I enrolled at McDowell Tech in the fall of 2013 as a dual-credit student. I had known for a long time that I wanted to become a teacher, because I wanted to impact the lives of children and give them a great foundation of learning at an early age.
Emilee Crowder, who will graduate with her Associate in Arts Degree this May, is a first generation college student who enrolled at Mayland Community College following her high school graduation.
My experience at Martin Community College has been one-of-a-kind! Ever since I made the decision to go back to school, I knew it was not going to be an easy journey.
The fall semester after my graduation in 2011, I started attending Salem College as a Music Education major. I soon realized a career in music was not for me. In the 2013 spring semester, I dropped to attending college part time, and after that I dropped out altogether.
These past two years have been a huge transition for me. Throughout high school I planned to attend a university in Florida, where I had lived all my life. During my senior year my grandfather passed, leaving my grandmother alone in North Carolina.
Being a high school senior at Duplin Early College High School, while taking college courses at James Sprunt Community College has not been easy. It has taken plenty of hard work and dedication. I have learned that reaching my goals in life will not be easy, but it will be worth it in the end.
I began classes at Isothermal Community College after being out of school for over 10 years. I knew I wanted to continue my education, but was unsure at the time if I could do it while raising a young child.
I know from experience the path to a higher education is one that many start, but only a few finish. I am able to count myself among the few who will finish and have Halifax Community College (HCC) to thank for this accomplishment.
A friend is one that is always accepting and encouraging regardless of how much time has passed. For thirty years Guilford Technical Community College has consistently demonstrated this concept.
I began my collegiate journey at Gaston College in the fall of 2014. The year prior, I was deployed overseas on my second combat tour when a 200-pound Improvised Explosive Devise struck my vehicle.
When I was sixteen I dropped out of school due to being pregnant and homeless. I was forced to give my son up for adoption, a decision that would prove to stagnate me for years as well as be that one thing in life that I regret. For years I found myself surviving to live and living to survive.
In 1999 I left South Africa and came to America to make a better life for myself by driving 18-wheelers country-wide. I knew America was the place I wanted to be. My dream came true when I met the man of my dreams who was serving his country in the US Army 3rd Special Forces Group.
I am a senior Medical Assisting student at Edgecombe Community College. My program began fall 2014, and I graduate this May 2016. Throughout my program, I have maintained a 4.0 GPA. I have taken away so many experiences that will forever benefit my personal life and career.
Durham Technical Community College has become the place that I arrive early in the morning with the prospect of having new lessons on my favorite subjects, Chemistry, English, and Psychology.
Clenching the straps of my book bag in sheer nervousness, I walked into the doors of Davidson County Community College. In an instant, I was in a class with adults who had full-time jobs, spouses, and children.
I started at Craven Community College after I finished serving 12 years of service in the Marine Corps. My time at the college has been very high tempo, but also very rewarding. There have been many things I have done and accomplished, that I never saw coming.