COMMUNITY NEWS
BESTMANN, RICHARDSON AMONG THOSE HONORED WITH RCC ACADEMIC AWARDS
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renna Bestmann of Asheboro was chosen as Randolph Community College’s Academic Excellence Award winner for 2021, while Brooke Richardson of Asheboro was RCC’s nominee for the 2021 Dallas Herring Achievement Award. Bestmann, who is studying Radiography at RCC, was one of 58 students from each community college in North Carolina who were recognized in April for academic excellence. AEA selection requirements are consistent with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society criteria. Students must be currently enrolled, must have completed at least 12 semester hours in an associate degree program and must have a cumulative grade point average of no less than 3.25. A committee at RCC selected the final recipient based on faculty recommendations. “From the first day of class back in August 2019, I knew the radiography department was not going to be a walk in the park,” she said. “After two semesters in the program, there was a new problem: COVID-19. All my classes were changed from in-person to being fully online, and we had to miss eight weeks of clinicals. “Over the past two years, my teachers, tutors, and classmates have become family to me. We were all in the same boat. No one wanted to be online or miss clinicals, but it was something we worked through together. They have been the ones to encourage me and have found ways to help me be successful. Randolph Community College has given me lifelong friends and has provided me with the knowledge I will take with me to be successful in the work field.” The Dallas Herring Achievement Award was established by the North Carolina Community College System to honor the late Dr. Dallas Herring, whose philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they
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can go” is the guiding principle of the system. The award is given annually to a current or former community college student who best embodies Dr. Herring’s philosophy. Richardson, a 2018 Presidential Scholar, is currently pursuing not only a degree in Cosmetology, but also an associate degree in Business Administration. She also has worked at Hair Kutts Salon in High Point since 2019. Despite having a lot on her plate during a global pandemic, Richardson has made it onto the President’s List in both the fall and spring semesters in 2020, an honor that requires a Grade Point Average of 4.00. “Although I’ve always wanted to be a hairstylist, I wanted to have a degree as a backup plan,” Richardson said. “I would recommend the community college route for
