Fearing I shall sound pretentious when others read this, I will begin by saying I am humbled with being selected out of so many, to receive this Award of Academic Excellence. I am just a young man out of the North Carolina footills, blessed of God to be put amongst such wonderful family, instructors, and comrades who have bolstered me in my academic journey. To have studied at McDowell Technical Community College I count myself privileged. There is nothing neither shameful nor shortsighted about pursuing a community college degree, and this award is proof of that.

While I could have attended any of the colleges I applied to as a high school senior, I hasten to say my decision to attend MTCC was personally prudent. I have grown as a student, learned the value of diligent studying, thereby garnering some “hard-fraught” academic victories. I feel it was the hand of Providence which led me here. Else, I would have forfeited the plethora of personal and scholastic opportunities I have enjoyed. My goal now is to attend UNC Chapel Hill, Appalachian State, or UNC Wilmington to obtain a Bachelor’s of Arts in English, with possible minors in Spanish or music.