Gavin Taylor, a second-year student studying criminal justice at Rockingham Community College, has been named one of “The Great Within the 58” – an academic excellence award presented to one student at each of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges.

Many people think that they need to go to a university to get a quality education. I can personally tell you that is not the case. Since I work full time and provide for a family of seven, Community College was my only choice.

My success story at Cape Fear Community College has been one filled with many emotions. I have felt empowered, gained leadership skills, and have overcome obstacles. I came to school to get an education, but I have found so much more.

I currently reside in Tarboro, North Carolina. I have attended Edgecombe Community College (ECC) for almost two-years. I have worked diligently to earn and maintain a 3.8 GPA, and I am proud of my efforts. While attending ECC, I have met some awesome students and instructors.

Growing up in Huntington, West Virginia, I was never expected to go to college, nor did anyone in my life ever attempt to prepare me for it.

Ana Grace Brooks is an Associate in Arts student planning to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

My success story begins when I applied for the RIBN program through North Carolina A&T University and Davidson County Community College. This program set me on a path for success as long as I worked with a determined attitude, compassionate heart, and never gave up.

My journey at Pitt Community College began when I realized my job was not taking me to the place I wanted to be in life, nor did I feel passionate about my career. My mom set a good example for me as she was hardworking and loving, and I wanted to do the same for my son.

Being at Catawba Valley Community College as an early college high school student has given me the opportunity to see different possibilities than in a traditional high school setting.

I was looking for an educational challenge and wasn’t sure if I wanted to attend a community college. However, my opinion changed once I started attending Central Piedmont.

After serving twenty-six years in the military, Duane Bevitt’s search for a “retirement career” led him to the Gunsmithing program at Montgomery Community College. He entered the program with some preset notions of what it would be like and what he would enjoy the most.

As a native of Kenya, I learned English in elementary school and spent many other hours helping my mother on our small-scale farm. We grew maize, Napier grass, passion fruits, and kept cows, sheep, and chickens. of about 15 acres. But I had great ambitions of becoming an engineer and athlete.

The idea of attending a college had always been the forefront goal as my senior year of high school ended. Due to me being a new student and a new North Carolina resident, the search for a college began. The decision on where to go was not easy for me.

While in eighth grade, I chose to attend Wilkes Early College High School, a dual-enrollment program through Wilkes Community College (WCC).

Way back in the 90’s, after I graduated from high school, I went to college the first time. I was an “okay” student. I participated in class and turned in my assignments on time, mostly. I made good grades, but I never really succeeded because I was young, naïve, and socially dumb.

In 2010, I lost my partner after a four and a half year battle with breast cancer. A few years later, I decided to sell our company and begin the journey into a new career. This involved going back to college at the age of 40.

Jason Phelps was in between full-time jobs helping his father-in-law with residential and commercial wiring jobs. It sparked an interest and he thought about pursuing a career as an electrician.

My goal of becoming a leading member in the Horticulture profession has been progressing at a rapid pace here at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

I began my college education in 2006 when I was an eighteen-year-old. After the first semester, I dropped out due to pregnancy. I got married and decided to stay at home with my son. Over the next few years, I worked several part-time jobs and had two more children.

Leadership, to me, is a way to guide and help my peers. I feel it is necessary for people as a whole to work together to come to a final goal.

When I started college, I was fresh out of high school, with little direction as to what I wanted to accomplish in life. I knew I needed guidance and support but had no idea where to find these things.

I am a thirty years old and the mother of two boys, ages ten and three. After graduating high school in 2006, college seemed like an unreachable goal. I began working instead of pursuing my passion to be an artist. In 2008, my high school sweetheart and I, had our first child together.

The decision to alter one’s path is never an easy one. However, at the age of 41, I made that decision and applies to the school of nursing at Haywood Community College. Throughout my academic journey at HCC, I have been presented with many challenges.

I graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Building a career after the financial crisis was very difficult so I never actually had a job that needed such a high level of education.

I have wanted to be a Medical Laboratory Technician since the first day working in the Laboratory as a Phlebotomist in Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center.

In May, I will graduate from Coastal Carolina Community College with a Dental Hygiene degree and, I am eager to become Bethany Turner CDA, RDH. Dental Hygiene has been a passion of mine that continues to grow as I progress in the profession.

Halifax Community College allowed me to explore a career that many people don't know about, the lab. The medical field has so many avenues to pursue but the technical skills involved in being a Medical Laboratory Technician lured me in to explore more about it.

Making the decision to attend Cleveland Early College High School was a difficult one, but probably one of the best I have ever made. The January before attending CECHS, I lost my father and was very uneasy about going to a school where I did not know anybody.