Three students were honored for earning State Employees’ Credit Union Continuing Education Scholarships for the Fall 2016 semester at Wayne Community College.
The recipients and their courses of study are
- Brittany Dawn Morgan of Selma, Emergency Medical Technician–Basic;
- Deontre Jymel Gray of Goldsboro, Emergency Medical Technician–Basic; and
- Heather Elizabeth Ann Finch of Fremont, Nurse Aide I.
All three have completed their programs, passed the corresponding state certification exams, and intend to go to the next level in their fields.
“You are examples of what we hope all Wayne Community College continuing education students will be,” Renita Dawson, associate vice president for continuing education services, told the students and their guests at a reception in their honor.
Ms. Finch has already found employment as a certified nursing assistant at Willow Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Her ultimate goal is to become an oncology nurse. “My children drive me to get up every morning to do what I do,” she explained.
Gray said that he isn’t stopping either. “I learned a lot of skills from that course,” he said. “I’m ready to take the anatomy and physiology class so I can come back and do the paramedic certificate.”
He had already been taking college-credit courses at WCC but took the fall semester off from those studies to earn his EMT certificate. “I am the first person in my immediate family to attend college. Setting a good example for my four siblings and others is very important to me,” he said.
Ms. Morgan said she was motivated by both her drive to help people and the experience of “witnessing my young niece nearly drown in a pool”. She plans to return to earn her paramedic certificate, too.
Each was awarded $750 for tuition and other expenses associated with their programs of study.
The scholarships were provided by the member-funded SECU Foundation. The program gives 10 $750 scholarships annually to each of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges to pay for short-term training that leads to state-recognized or industry-supported credentials.
Launched in 2013, the scholarship program focuses on assisting the needs of North Carolina’s unemployed and underemployed residents, military veterans, and members of the National Guard who are seeking short-term job training for new careers or retraining to advance current job skills.
“The SECU Continuing Education Scholarship program provides an excellent opportunity to assist North Carolina’s unemployed and underemployed citizens with career training and marketable job skills needed for today’s workplace, “ said SECU Local Advisory Board Member Gene Smith, who also is the WCC vice president of academic and student services. “We look forward to the long-term success of these scholarship recipients as they build a better economic future for themselves, their families, and our state.”
With a $435,000 commitment to the Continuing Education scholarships and its annual $580,000 “People Helping People” Community College Scholarships, the SECU Foundation provides more than $1 million each year to the N.C. Community College System.
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for more than 79 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves 2.2 million members through 257 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website, www.ncsecu.org.
The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services. Since 2005, the SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of more than $130 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.
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.
Wayne Community College’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.