Students in the Southeastern Education and Economic Development (SEED) initiative’s pre-apprenticeship academies have completed their summer program.
SEED was created by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) with funding from Smithfield Foods. It offers participants a paid education and career exploration with the chance to gain hands-on experience, tour businesses and industries, and receive college credit through classroom instruction.
Students in SEED’s inaugural agriculture academy and the second advanced manufacturing academy completed the eight-week program and received certificates of completion at a special ceremony.
More than 70 students in Southeastern NC participated in SEED this summer, including 31 individuals who attended the academies held at Wayne Community College.
SEED started in the summer of 2024 at WCC and Lenoir Community College with the first advanced manufacturing academy. This year, James Sprunt Community College, Sampson Community College, and Wilson Community College also held SEED academies at their schools.
Dr. Kristie Sauls, program director of NC Career Launch with the NCBCE, said the pre-apprenticeship program’s goal after its first year was to expand throughout the region and to include additional industry sectors.
WCC was the only school to host both agriculture and advanced manufacturing academies this year. “Next summer, we’re hoping to be able to offer that opportunity to our partners who started this summer as well,” Sauls said.
This year, WCC also held a SEED teacher externship for Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school teachers to spend a week learning more about students’ experiences in the program.
Adilee Rich, a recent graduate of South Lenoir High School, took part in WCC’s agriculture academy, which she says prepared her before she attends North Carolina State University. “Going into this program, I already had a love for agriculture, but I had no idea just how much I would gain from this experience,” she said at the certificate ceremony.
Rich enjoyed meeting farmers, business owners, and agriculture professionals who shared their experiences with the students. She also participated in work-based learning at the University of Mount Olive’s student farm. “It gave me a whole new appreciation for the opportunities in agriculture close to home,” Rich shared.
“To everyone involved in the SEED program: thank you for helping plant the seeds of knowledge, confidence, and connection that I will carry with me into my future,” Rich said. “I came into this summer with a passion for agriculture, but I’m leaving with a purpose.”
Wayne School of Engineering student Johnathan Velazquez-Trejo participated in WCC’s advanced manufacturing academy. He was drawn to the program’s career exploration aspect. “Each course taught us a new skill, and that is the point of this program: to expand our knowledge in the advanced manufacturing field and gain insight into what the future may hold for us,” he said.
Velazquez-Trejo’s favorite part of the program was learning new things in the machine shop, and he also enjoyed touring local companies. “It was amazing to see how each company demonstrated something we were learning in our courses,” he shared. “The SEED program was honestly a great experience that I could not have obtained anywhere else.”
During the certificate presentation ceremony, Sauls read a letter written by NC Governor Josh Stein to the pre-apprentices. “I am impressed that you have taken advantage of this opportunity,” he wrote.
“I also thank NCBCE and the Smithfield Foods Foundation for partnering to create a wonderful opportunity for students like you,” Stein wrote. “Their innovative work will connect more high school students with pre-apprenticeship opportunities in high-demand fields, preparing young people to pursue the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
The following students completed SEED academies at WCC:
Agriculture Academy
Myra Beasley – Johnston County Virtual Academy
Addison Boyd – Wayne School of Engineering
Cameron Casey – North Johnston High School
Graciela De La Cruz – Greene Central High School
Alexis Deitz – Spring Creek High School
Olivia Donahue – South Lenoir High School
Amber Hardy – Faith Christian Academy
Olivia Heck – Greene Central High School
Lilyanna Martin-Guerrero – Greene Central High School
Cheyenne Oliver – Rosewood High School
Carson Pratt – Wayne Preparatory Academy
Selina Quach – Eastern Wayne High School
Adilee Rich – South Lenoir High School
Fielder Weeks – Wayne Christian School
Katelyn Xivir – Wayne Early/Middle College High School
Advanced Manufacturing Academy
Carlos Alvarez – Southern Wayne High School
Youdelie Bastien – Goldsboro High School
Dayana Flores-Gonzalez – Wayne School of Engineering
Maxton Herring – Faith Christian Academy
Tracy Hu – Eastern Wayne High School
Louis Leigh – Wayne Christian School
Christopher McKinney – Goldsboro High School
Nelson Nunez Navarro – Wayne Preparatory Academy
Ethan Parker – Acellus Academy
Ben Reese – Faith Christian Academy
Matthew Rios – Wayne Preparatory Academy
Aldi Daniel Sanchez Diaz – East Duplin High School
Elijah Satterfield – Wayne Christian School
Walker Thornton – Mt. Calvary Christian Academy
Johnathan Velazquez-Trejo – Wayne School of Engineering
Ethan Verry – Wayne Preparatory Academy
About Wayne Community College
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 around 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 150 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.