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Central Carolina high school programs celebrate graduation

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Click to enlarge, Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs at Central Carolina Community College were awarded their high school diplomas or GED certificates at commencement exercises Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. After the program, Angela Albright (left), of Chatham County, who received her GED, hugs instructor Sharon Pyrtle, thanking her for her help in achieving this milestone. Albright, one of the graduation speakers, has now enrolled in the college’s veterinary medical technology program. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester.

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Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs at Central Carolina Community College were awarded their high school diplomas or GED certificates in commencement exercises took place Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. Several scholarships were also presented. Amber Brewington (right), of Harnett County, receives congratulations from Dr. Lisa Chapman, the college’s vice president of Instruction, after receiving a CCCC Foundation Scholarship. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Graduation was a family affair for the Castillos, of Chatham County, as Vicky (second row, left) received her GED certificate during commencement exercises for Central Carolina Community College’s Continuing Education high school completion programs. The commencement exercises Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester. Other member of the Castillo family are (not in order) Stephanie, Chris, Jenice, Maret, and Lolo.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Graduation was a family affair for the Castillos, of Chatham County, as Vicky (second row, left) received ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs at Central Carolina Community College received their high school diplomas or GED certificates in commencement exercises Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. Among them was Melanie Crawford (right), of Harnett County, who received her diploma from Bobby Powell, chairman of the college’s board of trustees. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Family and friends cheered as students in the Continuing Education high school completion programs ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Kristen Hall (center), of Lee County, was all smiles following commencement exercises for the Continuing Education high school completion programs at Central Carolina Community College. The exercises, held Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, attracted more than 1,000 family and friends to cheer the students who were awarded their high school diplomas or GED certificates. Hall received her high school diploma. Celebrating with Hall were her father, Eddie (right), and friend, Barbara Mason.

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Kristen Hall (center), of Lee County, was all smiles following commencement exercises for the Continuing ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Angel Amador Soto, of Harnett County, a graduating student, delivers one of the addresses at the commencement exercises for the Continuing Education high school completion programs at Central Carolina Community College. The exercises took place Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, including Soto, GED certificates during the fall semester.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Angel Amador Soto, of Harnett County, a graduating student, delivers one of the addresses at the commencement ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Sim Spears, of Lee County, is all smiles as he accepts the W.B. Wicker Scholarship from Dr. Lisa Chapman, Central Carolina Community College’s vice president of Instruction. The presentation took place during graduation exercises for the college’s Continuing Education high school completion programs. During the exercises, held Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, fall semester graduates were awarded their high school diplomas or GED certificates. More than 60 adults, including Spears, earned diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Sim Spears, of Lee County, is all smiles as he accepts the W.B. Wicker Scholarship from Dr. Lisa Chapman, ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Glenda Goldsby (right), an Adult High School instructor at Central Carolina Community College’s Jonesboro Center, gets a thank-you bear hug from graduating student John Taylor, of Chatham County, at the college’s high school completion programs commencement exercises Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. Taylor was one of more than 60 adults who earned their high school diplomas at the college during the fall semester. More than 200 students earned General Educational Development certificates.

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Glenda Goldsby (right), an Adult High School instructor at Central Carolina Community College’s ... (more)

Click to enlarge, Toney Thompson, of Lee County, received her General Educational Development certificate at the graduation exercises for Central Carolina Community College’s Continuing Education high school completion programs. Thompson was on of three student speakers at the event, held Jan. 29 in the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. More than 60 adults earned high school diplomas and more than 200, GEDs during the fall semester.

click image to enlarge ⊗

Toney Thompson, of Lee County, received her General Educational Development certificate at the graduation ... (more)

02.02.2009 • Students/Graduates

SANFORD — Super Bowl Sunday couldn’t be more exciting than Graduation Thursday was for the Central Carolina Community College students who scored impressive academic touchdowns.

More than 1,000 family members and friends gathered at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center Jan. 29 to celebrate their achievement in the college’s Continuing Education high school completion programs.

Sixty-two students earned high school diplomas and 220 earned General Educational Development certificates during the fall semester. Approximately 100 took part in the commencement exercises.

“Be proud,” graduation speaker Angela Albright told her classmates. “We’ve proven that we can make our dreams reality.”

Albright was one of three speakers, one from each of the counties the college serves. Each told their stories and thanked their families, friends and teachers for the support that enabled them to achieve their long-desired goal.

Albright, of Chatham County, spoke of her long battle with alcoholism. She finally found help through Alcoholics Anonymous. As she stabilized her life, she decided to go back to school for her GED, a goal that had eluded her until she enrolled at the college’s GED program in Siler City.

“I changed my life, gave up some bad habits to pursue my education, “ she said. “To achieve this feels like freedom. This is my opportunity to make my dreams reality. I’ve always wanted to work with animals and now I’ve started in the college’s veterinary medical technology program.”

Angel Soto, of Harnett County, also spoke. He said that he made many mistakes as a teenager, but that not getting an education was the worst of all.

“Thank you very much CCCC for giving me the opportunity to succeed in life,” he said. “I’m a minority, but I understand that there’s opportunity — as long as you are persistent, you will achieve.”

Soto now plans to enroll in the college’s law enforcement training program and hopes someday to become a detective.

Toney Thompson, of Lee County, the third graduation speaker, urged anyone in the audience who hadn’t graduated high school to take advantage of the opportunity to do so. She thanked GED instructor Eileen Harrington for the tough love and encouragement that enabled her to reach her goal.

“It feels wonderful,” she said. “Now, I’m in the medical assisting program at the college.”

Three members of the graduating class received CCCC Foundation scholarships: Albright; Amber Brewington, of Harnett County; and Christopher Castle, of Lee County. Sim Montae Spears, of Lee County, was awarded the W. B. Wicker Scholarship. Each graduate received a voucher redeemable for one three-credit course at the college, an encouragement for them to continue pursuing their educational dreams.

Bobby Powell, chairman of the college’s board of trustees, and college President Bud Marchant presented the diplomas. As each graduating student walked across the stage, cheers, whistles, and applause erupted from the enthusiastic crowd. Cameras flashed, capturing the life-changing event.

“You have wonderful, wonderful opportunities ahead of you,” Marchant told the new graduates. “I encourage you to take advantage of them.”

Then the graduates proudly walked out of the Center’s large exhibition hall, into the happy embraces of their loved ones and into a future that was brighter than any they had yet known.