SUMMER NEWSLETTER • JULY 2016
GTCC Commencement
Congratulations to our graduates!
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TCC held its 50th Commencement on May 12 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Approximately 1,400 students graduated. During the ceremony, several students were recognized for their academic achievements:
• Phydesia Lewis, Outstanding Diploma Graduate; • Sarah Mayer, Outstanding Associate in Applied Science Degree Student; • Jenny Carratello, Outstanding College Transfer Graduate.
Phydesia Lewis benefited from a successful career in corporate America, but cosmetology was always her passion. She decided to finally follow that love and enrolled in GTCC’s Cosmetology program equipped with employability skills. She is responsible, accountable, a team player and serves as a mentor for her peers. According to her nominee, “Phydesia is every instructor’s dream student.”
C) arla Kucinski/GTC Phydesia Lewis. (C
Sarah Mayer is a single mom of three children and a U.S. Army veteran. She juggled two to three jobs while attending GTCC and still found the time to volunteer for just about everything going on at the college and at local charity events. She won the 2015 Biscuitville Challenge and she was part of a team that received first place in the Southeast Regional Collegiate Ice Carving Championship in Blowing Rock, N.C. earlier this year. Sarah also was nominated by the American Culinary Federation as student chef of the year and represented GTCC at SkillsUSA twice, placing both times.
Sarah Mayer. (Car la Kucinski/GTCC)
Commencement Jenny Carratello is an active member of the GTCC Creative Writing Club and has excelled in her creative writing courses at GTCC. She also is a writer whose work focuses on strong female protagonists and highlights her creative imagination. She served as club secretary for the Creative Writing Club and volunteered during the fall and spring fairs to recruit students.
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cinski/GTCC Jenny Carratello. (Carla Ku
Jamie Helander received the President’s Medal, the highest honor given to a graduate. Helander is the first in her family to attend college and immersed herself in the overall experience of GTCC, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. According to her nominee, “What is truly unique and incredible about Jamie is the amount of time and effort that she has devoted and the level of success she has achieved in school and community activities outside of the classroom. … Jamie has worked with untiring dedication to accomplish everything she has so far.”
arla Jamie Helander. (C
Kucinski/GTCC)
Pandora Dumas. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
Pandora Dumas, assistant professor of nursing, received the Board of Trustees’ Teaching Innovation Award, given to one faculty member each year in recognition of innovative teaching practices. Dumas created an academic assessment tool called Pathways to Success to help students develop structured individualized learning plans to improve their success in two nursing courses. Through an initial assessment, students identify areas for improvement and address their challenges by practicing skills in the nursing lab, reviewing nursing concepts, visiting tutoring centers, and meeting with their advisors.
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Commencement
Commencement held for Adult High School and GED students
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pproximately 180 students graduated from GTCC’s Adult High School (AHS), General Education Development (GED) and High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) programs on June 9, 2016. The ceremony was held at North Carolina A&T State University. Graduates Tasha Martin and Tyree Fate shared some inspirational words with their fellow graduates. “We all know children mimic what they see, so I decided to give my children something positive to see. I decided to give my babies a chance to see me grow. … No matter how long it takes, go get what you want. Keep persevering because winners never quit, and quitters never win,” Martin said. “Regardless of how hard anything seems, nothing is ever over until you quit and give up. … When things aren’t going as planned, don’t feel obligated to stick to a script. Don’t be afraid to try and do things in ways that others say are unorthodox. … Anything is possible with great determination and a positive attitude,” Fate said. In addition, four graduates received special recognition during the ceremony: Shabana Khan; Tyree Fate; Albert Edward; and Michael B. Burnett. Michael Burnette received the Adult High School Achievement Scholarship Award. In the fall, he will begin GTCC’s two-year college transfer program and then transfer to UNC Chapel Hill to finish his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy. He wants to help people regain their natural body functions so they can enjoy life again. His long-term goal is to achieve a doctorate by age 28. Albert Edward received the GED Achievement Scholarship Award. After earning his GED from GTCC, Edward enrolled in GTCC’s Construction
Management Program. He plans to continue his education at a four-year college before obtaining a North Carolina general contractor’s license. Tyree Fate received the GED Scholarship. Fate has big aspirations. In the fall, he’ll be attending GTCC to earn an associate degree in Business Administration. He plans to earn a bachelor’s degree at North Carolina A&T State University and start a logistics company. “My intuition tells me that GTCC is the best place for me. I will share my story with future students in the hopes to inspire them to take control of their loves, and make their own plans.” Shabana Khan received the Adult High School Scholarship. Her intention is to receive her associate degree in Simulation and Game Development from GTCC. The program is one of the best online gaming programs in the country. “Games are a means of escaping the suffering that occurs in the world,” Khan said. “They help transport us to another world and allow us to become heroes.”
Tasha Martin. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
To learn more about the AHS, GED and HiSET programs, visit http://conedhome.gtcc.edu/adult-education/.
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Student Success Stories GED graduate overcomes past to change his life
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Tyree Fate. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
wo years ago, Tyree Fate left his home and his school, and started living on the streets. He believed he had no other choice. To survive, he sometimes sought refuge in abandoned houses and did things that led to a few arrests — something he said he’s not proud of. What he remembers about that period of his life is how eerily quiet the empty house was and how insecure he felt at night when he was alone in the dark. “You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” said Fate, 19 of High Point. “I always slept in the furthest room in the back of whatever house I slept in.” But now, Fate is rewriting his story and leaving the past in the past. Click here for full story.
Passion for human rights leads GTCC student to South Africa
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TCC student Kathryn Nieri started off the year with a plan—albeit an atypical plan for an average 18-year-old; she wanted to travel abroad and take a stand for human rights. “I feel that I have been given a great deal of privilege in this lifetime, and I want to use my privilege to give back to those who do not have the same privileges,” Nieri said. What she didn’t anticipate was that her passion for human rights law would lead her to South Africa this summer. Nieri is spending close to three months in Cape Town, working on behalf of the Triangle Project, a South Africa-based nonprofit human rights organization that offers a wide-range of services to the LGBTI community including health clinics, counseling and community outreach. Click here for full story. Kathryn Nieri. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
Academic Excellence Winner turns personal struggles into gifts “You grow up thinking that your voice does not matter,” said Parks, 46 of Jamestown. “I didn’t think I could be anything.”
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TCC believed in Sharon Parks when she didn’t believe in herself. Feelings of worthlessness made her unsuccessful in the public school system. So in an effort to find something that worked, she enrolled in the Adult High School program at GTCC to earn her high school diploma. A single mom to a two-year-old boy, Parks was unsure of her future and unaware of her potential. GTCC became her silver lining. “G-Tech has given me so much,” she said. “There are people along the way who have really helped me. The faculty and staff believe in their students and throw that extra spark in there that says, ‘You can.’ I felt like I could be successful.” Parks’ journey at GTCC spans 30 years. Throughout her life, she has consistently returned to GTCC to improve herself. Whether it was taking a class on parenting or grant writing, or earning a certification to enhance her job performance, GTCC was always there, like an old friend, she said. Click here for full story.
Sharon Parks. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
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Campus News
GTCC awarded LEED Green Building Certification
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The GTCC HVAC program is comprised of GTCC instructors (from left to right) Chris Sizemore, Jeffrey Underwood and HVAC Department Chair James Williams. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
TCC has been awarded LEED® Gold certification for its Business and Industry Building and Conference Center located on the Donald W. Cameron Campus. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. This is GTCC’s first LEED Gold certified building. Click here for full story.
GTCC program first to receive accreditation in NC
GTCC online degree program named best in the country
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TCC’s Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology program has received accreditation from HVAC Excellence, the oldest and largest HVAC/R programmatic accreditation organization. GTCC’s HVAC/R program is the first in North Carolina to receive HVAC Excellence programmatic accreditation. Click here for full story.
TCC’s online medical office administration program has been recognized as one of the best in the country. OnlineColleges.net published the ranking based on academic quality, online offerings, cost and student aid. Click here for full story.
GTCC receives $20K to assist low-income families
T David Black, market president for Wells Fargo Greater High Point, presented GTCC President Randy Parker with a $20,000 check for the college’s Center for Working Families. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
hanks to a partnership with the United Way of Greater High Point (UWGHP), GTCC has received a $20,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support the Center for Working Families, a program on GTCC’s High Point Campus that assists students from low-income families reach financial stability. UWGHP requested the grant on GTCC’s behalf after cultivating a partnership this past year. Click here for full story.
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Campus News GTCC receives grant to expand resource for students
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TCC has received a $50,000 grant from the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation to expand the college’s Center for Working Families/Titan Link. The grant will allow GTCC to expand Titan Link from its High Point Campus to its Jamestown and Greensboro campuses. Click here for full story. For Division Chair, community college made all the difference. Of all the degrees that Randy Gunter has earned, his associate degree from community college means the most. “It opened up doors for me to work in an area I truly wanted to work in,” Gunter said. “I wasn’t just showing up at a place of employment just to do something day-in and dayout. I was showing up to do something that I wanted to do.” Today, Gunter is the division chair for Industrial, Construction and Engineering Technologies (ICET) at Guilford Technical Community College. He started in January. Click here for full story.
“It opened up doors for me to work in an area I truly wanted to work in,” Gunter said. “I wasn’t just showing up at a place of employment just to do something day-in and day-out. I was showing up to do something that I wanted to do.” Randy Gunter. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
New Conference Center Director was born to plan
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eresa Goins has been planning events since high school – beginning with her junior and senior proms. And although the details are fuzzy — was it a Parisian theme or an espionage theme? —the enthusiasm that organizing and planning sparked in her never faded. “It felt natural to me,” said Goins, a native of Matthews, N.C. “I think I just like pulling details together. I like logistics and figuring out how to make things work.” As the new director of the Conference Center at Guilford Technical Community College, Goins is bringing that same excitement to her role as she markets the center as a desired meeting venue in the Triad. The idea of creating a marketing and business plan for a new venue drew Goins to the position, she said. Click here for full story.
Teresa Goins (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
GTCC Machining Program Receives $20K Grant
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TCC’s Computer Integrated Machining department has received a $20,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation to support student scholarships. The scholarships will be awarded to students who are currently enrolled in or will be enrolling in a machining-based training program at GTCC. In addition, the grant will be used to fund students’ cost of third party credentials, such as the National Institute for Metal Working Skills (NIMS), and to compete in SkillsUSA competitions. Click here for full story. 6
Campus News Darlinda Finch wins ‘Small Business Advocate of the Year’
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arLinda Finch, administrative assistant at GTCC’s Small Business Center, was awarded the 2016 Small Business Advocate of the Year at the Greensboro Partnership’s Small Business Awards luncheon in May. “It’s always good to see recognition of that special person who has the passion and drive to make a difference,” said Mark Hagenbuch, director of GTCC’s Small Business Center. “I couldn’t be prouder to see DarLinda receive this well-deserved recognition.”
Ednalyn Hurley wins ‘Club Advisor of the Year’
DarLinda Finch (S. Benson)
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TCC counselor Ednalyn Hurley was named Club Advisor of the Year for her role in advising the Single Parents’ Support Group. The group’s president, Helen Cain, praised Hurley for her encouragement of other students to continue their education and further their careers. In fact, in 2015, the Single Parents’ Support Group held an alumni luncheon in which former GTCC students shared their experiences with current students about how they were able to persevere through college. In addition, Hurley has gone above and beyond for students by babysitting for their children in an emergency and promoting fundraisers to benefit single parent students and their children. Cain said: “Mrs. Hurley is a humble person who does not go out of the way on purpose to get noticed, but is noticed because of her relentless commitment to help change lives of our students at GTCC.”
VP receives prestigious award from nation’s oldest HBCU
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r. Quentin R. Johnson has received the prestigious Stellar Leadership Award from Wilberforce University for his role in helping to lead the historic institution in restoring its full accreditation. From September 2014 to July 2015, Johnson temporarily stepped away from his role as vice president of Student Support Services at Guilford Technical Community College, to join Wilberforce as Provost to assist in saving the university’s accreditation. Founded in 1856, the Ohio-based Wilberforce University is the nation’s oldest, private historically black college and university (HBCU). Its accreditation was in jeopardy due to low enrollment and financial deficits but was fully restored in November 2015. Click here for full story. Quentin Johnson. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
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New Initiatives Grant allows GTCC to offer new program for older adults
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n March, GTCC introduced a new senior education program supported by a $1,250 Lead the Way grant from the North Carolina Community College Adult Educators Association. Steppin’ N2 Life is geared toward older adults age 55 and older. The courses are designed to celebrate healthy aging, make healthy lifestyle choices and provide lifelong training opportunities for personal enrichment. New classes start in September and include Basic Computer Training, Social Media for the Older Adult, Chair Yoga and Basic Photography. For more information call (336) 334-4822 ext. 55021 or email communityeducation@gtcc.edu. To register, click here.
GTCC offers new alternative for students seeking high school diploma
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tudents seeking a high school equivalency diploma now have the opportunity to choose from two testing options at GTCC: the General Education Development (GED®) test and the new High School Equivalency Test (HiSET®). Both tests result in a high school equivalency diploma from the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges upon successful passage. HiSET® is delivered nationally in both a paper-based and computer-based testing format. GTCC only offers the paper-based exam suitable for students who may be apprehensive about taking the computer-based GED® test. HiSET® consists of five tests: reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. Each test costs $10 — or $50 for all five tests. The GED® test is offered electronically only and consists of four tests: reasoning with language arts, science, social studies and mathematics reasoning. The GED® test costs $20 per test — or $80 for all four tests. For more information, click here.
GTCC part of federal experiment to extend pell to high school students
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he U.S. Department of Education has selected GTCC as one of 44 postsecondary institutions in the United States to participate in an experiment that allows high school students taking college-credit courses to access Federal Pell Grants. As part of this experiment, an estimated 10,000 high school students will have the opportunity to access approximately $20 million in Federal Pell Grants to take dual enrollment courses provided by colleges and high schools throughout the nation. Nearly 80 percent of the selected sites are community colleges. GTCC is the only educational institution in NC to be selected to participate. Click here for full story.
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New Initiatives
2016 Summer Faculty Academy participants. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
Faculty learn new teaching methods during summer academy
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TCC’s Center for Teaching and Learning launched its inaugural Summer Faculty Academy on June 6. For four days, 20 faculty members gathered at the High Point Campus to discover concepts of the flipped classroom, where the traditional lecture/homework-style of learning is replaced by students learning content electronically at home and then applying that knowledge to exercises, projects and discussion in class. Division Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences, Laura Yannuzzi, hosted the Academy, which consisted of feature presentations, networking, and hands-on training on a variety of topics including leveraging instructional technology, ADA compliance, library resources and advanced Moodle learning. Click here for full story.
Anita McCoy and Audrey Byrk help Muriel Williamson. (Constance Mayberry/GTCC)
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Student Success GTCC students bring home national medals
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TCC claimed three national medals in June at the 52nd Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, a showcase of hands-on skill and leadership competitions. Ariel Davis of Greensboro received a gold medal in Restaurant Service. Danielle Dobson of Trinity received a silver medal in Health Occupations Professional Portfolio (Dental Assisting). And Katie Keene of Thomasville received a bronze media in Criminal Justice. Click here for full story.
(center), and Ariel Davis ne (left), Danielle Dobson GTCC students Katie Kee ly at the 52nd Annual pec and gold medals res tive er silv , nze bro ed eiv rec (right) Faircloth/GTCC) rence June 20-24, 2016. (Jeff SkillsUSA National Confe
GTCC Model UN Club wins big at regional conference
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Kathryn Nieri, Kevin Sol tero-Silva, Lindsay Pendle ton, Lance Parker, and Model UN advisor Matthew De Santis. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC.)
he GTCC Model United Nations Club received numerous awards recently at the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) competition March 31–April 2 in Charlotte, N.C. GTCC competed against more than 60 delegations and received the two highest awards: the Overall Outstanding Delegation Award and the Overall Outstanding Position Papers Award. Four GTCC students received the Outstanding Delegate Award, the highest individual award at the conference: Lindsay Pendleton of High Point; Kevin Soltero-Silva of Greensboro; Lance Parker of Greensboro; and Kathryn Nieri of Summerfield. Click here for full story.
SECU scholarships support nursing assistant students
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he State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation has awarded three Guilford Technical Community College students with an SECU Continuing Education Scholarship, each valued at $750. The scholarship recognizes students enrolled in the Nursing Assistant I (NA) Training Program during the spring term. The scholarship recipients are: Dianne Hayter of Greensboro; Gabriella Martinez of Archdale; and Kim McDonald of Randleman. Click here for full story.
yter to right: Dianne Ha larship are from left ho Sc on . ati an uc lem Ed nd ald of Ra e SECU Continuing le; and Kim McDon The recipients of th Martinez of Archda la iel br Ga o; or sb C) of Green (Carla Kucinski/GTC
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Student Success
Ray Alston (left) and William Comstock (right) (Jana Carver/GTCC)
GTCC collision repair students receive tools to succeed
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wo GTCC students in the Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology program recently received tool grants through the Collision Repair Education Foundation. The not-for-profit organization supports collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connects them with an array of career opportunities. William Comstock has received $500 (retail value) in Snap-On tools to assist him in his training. Sgt. Ray Alston has received the 3M Hire our Heroes tool grant, which consists of $1,500 in tools, with an additional $3,000 in tools upon employment in the industry. Hire Our Heroes aims to support returning military veterans pursuing an education in collision repair. Click here for full story.
GTCC welding student wins best weld in regional contest
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TCC welding student Inez Mickel recently won Best GTAW (TIG) weld at the American Welding Society (AWS) Regional Welding Competition, hosted by Surry Community College on April 22. Welding students from all over the state competed to produce the best welds. During the one-day competition, participants used their skill sets to make welds using SMAW (STICK), GMAW (MIG), and GTAW (TIG). Click here for full story. Inez Mickel. (Carla Kucinski/GTCC)
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Get excited about your future at GTCC! Take a continuing education, noncredit course this fall. Register for a class today at http://conedhome.gtcc.edu.
The GTCC Newsletter is produced quarterly by the Office of Marketing and Public Information.
EDITOR
Carla Kucinski DESIGNER
Antionette Hinton CONTRIBUTORS
GUILFORD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PO Box 309 Jamestown, NC 27282 336-334-4822 www.gtcc.edu
Carla Kucinski Jana Carver PHOTOGRAPHY
Carla Kucinski Jana Carver