Wayne Community College graduated its 68th Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) class during ceremonies on Aug. 11. The 16 cadets who completed the college’s academy received certificates to work as sworn law enforcement officers in North Carolina.
Certificates were conferred on
Christina Atkinson, Elliot Michael Best, Shatana Latice Jones, Robert Austin Mitchell, Travis James Musselman, Milburn Eugene Powers Jr., Chase Brandon Serlick, and Glen Vidale Stevens, all of Goldsboro;
Kristopher Ryan Campbell, Jennifer Nicole Howington, and Jacob Wade Sasser of Pikeville;
Charles Andrew Taylor of Princeton;
Phillip Stephen Durham of Dudley;
Devon William Eakes of Mount Olive;
Ethan Heritage Price of Seven Springs; and
Alexander Ramon Torres of Faison.
Awards were presented to graduates for outstanding performance in various training areas.
Taylor earned Valedictorian honors by demonstrating excellence in both practical and academic areas of training. WCC Law Enforcement Training Coordinator Angie Blizzard said he had “not only the top academic average” but also “the best overall attitude in and out of class.”
The Physical Fitness Award went to Powers, who excelled in all activities designed to prepare the recruits for the Police Officer’s Physical Ability Test and timed runs. Goldsboro Police Department Investigator Sgt. Karl Rabun, one of the academy’s physical fitness trainers, noted that Powers was “the definition of teamwork” and “showed leadership time after time” encouraging his fellow cadets through demanding routines.
Durham was presented the “Top Gun” award for demonstrating the most overall proficiency in use of firearms. Cadets complete 48 hours of firearms work in both the classroom and on the firing range. Trainers Sgt. Michael Sweet of the Goldsboro Police Department and Lt. Richard Blizzard of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office commented on how Durham stood out from the rest of his class with his marksmanship skills.
Durham also garnered the Leadership Award. As a co-leader during the academy, he was responsible for keeping the recruits in compliance with college rules and regulations, and functioned as the liaison between his classmates and instructors and the college. Powers served as the other leader.
Ms. Jones was acknowledged for receiving the 2016 Outstanding Student Curriculum Award for the college’s Criminal Justice Technology program in an earlier ceremony.
Durham and Powers were selected by their peers to speak during the ceremony. Both talked about the rigors of the program, the dedication and sacrifices of their loved ones and friends that allowed them to complete it, and the respect they have for their instructors and their new profession.
“We are ready and prepared to take it to the next level,” Durham said. Powers described how the academy had provided a strong foundation on which the cadets had built.
WCC Public Safety Division Chair Beverly Deans acknowledged the mental and physical challenges the cadets had faced during 620 hours of training covering 36 aspects of law enforcement. She congratulated them for the commitment that got them through it all.
“You have learned the words ‘integrity,’ ‘honor,’ and ‘discipline.’ Now is the time to go out and not just speak those words but live those words through your actions in your personal and professional lives,” Mrs. Blizzard told the graduates.
“Do not be impressed by the authority granted by your badge, but rather be humbled by it, for it is much larger than you are,” Mrs. Blizzard advised them.
All of the cadets of WCC’s 68th academy passed the State Comprehensive Examination administered by the N.C. Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Standards Division. It was the only academy in North Carolina to have a 100 percent pass rate this term.
With this graduating class, the school has produced 1,072 graduates since its inception as a curriculum program 1987. Currently, WCC graduates work for 52 different law enforcement agencies in this state and more elsewhere.
WCC’s academy is accredited by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and N.C. Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission through the N.C. Community College System.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.
