The State Employees Credit Union Foundation recently awarded four scholarships to students in Workforce Continuing Education programs at Wayne Community College.
Each student received an SECU Bridge to Career Workforce Development scholarship valued at $500.
The scholarship recipients and their program of study are
Joseph K. Lamm, Emergency Medical Technician;
Devin C. Best, Paramedic I;
Jennifer A. Cox, Nurse Aide I; and
Lenora J. Lee, Commercial and Residential Wiring.
“EMT Basic helped me figure out a passion I didn’t know I had,” Lamm said. He plans to work in emergency medicine, continue his education, and “ultimately go into fire service.”
Best is already working as an EMT. The scholarship has allowed him to purchase the uniform and equipment he needs for training that will take him to the next level in the field he loves. “Every night I go to class and I learn something,” he said of his paramedic training.
The other two recipients are also using their training to enhance their careers. Cox enrolled in Nurse Aide II and Lee was planning to use her training to work with her husband.
“SECU members share a deep commitment to education and the cooperative spirit of helping others,” said Brittni Radford, who serves on the SECU’s local advisory board and is an Admissions and Records Specialist at WCC. “The SECU Bridge to Career Workforce Development program is an opportunity to help these students succeed, opening doors that will challenge and prepare them for a new career and future in today’s workplace. On behalf of the SECU Foundation, it gives me great pleasure to offer our congratulations to the scholarship recipients.”
“We are very proud of these recipients and happy that the SECU can provide them with scholarships,” said SECU Vice President Sheree Millard. She noted that the reality is that “it is our members who provide the scholarships.”
The SECU Bridge to Career Program is designed to help remove financial barriers for unemployed and underemployed students seeking careers with sustainable wages in their local communities. The initiative focuses on assisting individuals with finding vocational and job placement opportunities through eligible training programs that lead to state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials.
Scholarship funding is applied to educational expenses and other expenditures associated with their program of study through a North Carolina Community College workforce development program.
With the combined commitments for the SECU Bridge to Career and “People Helping People®” Community College Scholarship programs, SECU Foundation funding for the NC Community College System totals over $1 million annually.
About SECU and the SECU Foundation
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 nearly 82 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 over 2.4 million members through 267 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website (www.ncsecu.org). and a mobile app.
The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded 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, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of more than $169 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.
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 11,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 140 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.
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