SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College honored 87 outstanding graduating students May 1 at its 18th Annual Academic Excellence Awards program at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

Instructors selected the students who were recognized for academic excellence or for overall outstanding achievement. Students were also honored for service as college Ambassadors, inclusion in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, and other achievements.

"As a college community, the annual Academic Excellence Awards program is one of the highlights of our year," said CCCC President Bud Marchant. "These students, sometimes against great odds, not only achieved their program goals for the year, but did so in a way that brings honor and recognition to them. We know that they have a bright future before them because they have demonstrated the character, courage, tenacity, and hard work required for success in any endeavor they undertake in the future."

The following awards were presented, with the students listed by award and county of residence.

Seth Tom, of Lee County, received the North Carolina Community College System's "Great Within the 58" Academic Excellence Award. Only one student from each of the state's 58 community colleges is selected for the award each year. Dr. Linwood Powell, of the State Board of Community Colleges, presented the award to Tom. Tom also received CCCC's Ambassador Service Award and recognition for being listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Others who achieved listing in Who's Who were (by county of residence): Chatham County - Alexandria Clayton, Joe Cox, Kait Greenwood, Dustin Mauldin, and Jonathan Stubbs; Harnett County - Dan Chappell, Jr., Jonathan Faircloth, Kimberley Johnson, Narrie Liverman, Sandy Olmsted, Joseph Price, and David Slabaugh; Lee County - Colleen Cunningham, Christopher Godfrey, David Green, Kimberly Guin, Timothy Haggie, Morgan Howell, Cristina Jennings, Stevie Messer, Daniel Moore, Timothy Redwine, Mendy Ormsbee, Jason Terrell, and Zachary White; Forsyth County - Maria Nieto; Orange County - Kim Wilkinson; Wake County - Caleb Cardin, Jennifer Johnson, Eduardo Platon, Ashley Volan, and Jonathan Wert.

Those honored with the Ambassador Service Award, in addition to Tom, were: Joe Cox and Jonathan Stubbs, both of Chatham County; Colleen Cunningham, of Lee; Kimberley Johnson, Narrie Liverman and Sandy Olmsted, all of Harnett; Jennifer Johnson and Ashley Volan, of Wake; and Kim Wilkinson, of Orange.

Timothy Haggie, of Lee County, received the 2013 M.A.D.E. Scholar of the Year Award. Haggie, who played point guard on CCCC's basketball team for two years, will continue his education with a full-ride athletic scholarship to Fayetteville State University.

Monroe Smith, Jr., of Lee, received the Cary C. Todd Mathematics Excellence Award and Benjamin Harrington, of Harnett, received the Larry Talton Excellence in Business Award.

Students recognized for Academic Excellence in specific programs were (by county of residence):

Chatham County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Shannon Hollander; Academic Assistance - Hally Bland; Spanish - Kandis Harris; Adult High School - Desmi Contreras; GED - Braxton Sellers; and Occupational Education -Lisa Janson.

Harnett County
Dental Hygiene - Amanda Smith; Computer Information Technology - Amanda Eury; GED - Rachel Reaves; Laser & Photonics Technology - Joseph Price; Occupational Education - Angela Dudley; Paralegal Studies - Peggy Cumbee; and Motorcycle Mechanics - Jeremy Harrington.

Lee County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Colleen Cunningham; Dental Assisting - Carol Thompson; Public Speaking - Christina Cottrell; Human Resource Management - Steven Baldwin; Accounting Business Technologies - Jane Blessing; GED - Sarah Gable; Occupational Education - Mary Barszczewski; Early Childhood Education - Judy Borge; and Criminal Justice Technology-Latent Evidence - Ronald Mosby.

Moore County
Computer-Integrated Machining - Jess Rhodes and Cosmetology - Margaret McLeod.

Davidson County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Donald Lohr.

Orange County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Kathryn Tolbert, Allison McDaniel and Kim Wilkinson; English - William Bourret; and Sculpture - Debbie Englund.

Iredell County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Michelle Scovill.

Wake County
Veterinary Medical Technology - Katherine Frazer, Nicole VanDerWerff, Cheryl Voerman, and Ashley Volan; Human Services - Kieya McKinnie; and Paralegal Studies - Kristen Calcaterra.

Those recognized as Outstanding Students in specific programs were, by county of residence:

Chatham County
Academic Assistance - Joshua Bray, Public Speaking - Christopher Mullen, Theatre - Cody Miles, General Anatomy & Physiology - Shelly Stockton, Accounting - Wallace Lundy, and Early Childhood Education - Reva Cranford.

Harnett County
Computer Information Technology - Joseph Dwyer and GED - Joshua McCorquodale. Lee County
Dental Assisting - Hannah Cloutier, Theatre - Arianna Tysinger, Human Services - Esmeralda Espinoza, Chinese - Cordie Dorman, General Biology - Mary Cooper, Creative Writing - Beckie McCollough, English - Kimberly Guin, Business Administration - Oscar Hernandez, GED - Dallas Britt, and Paralegal Studies - Jeanette Cox.

Moore County
Dental Assisting - Casey Sessoms and Computer-Integrated Machining - Chad McKenzie.

Cumberland County
CAD Certificate and MET A.A.S. - Caleb Jimenez.

Wake County
General Anatomy and Physiology - Connie Womble, Human Resource Management - Viktoria Johnson, Laser & Photonics Technology - Caleb Cardin, and Student Government Association Representative - Roxanna Diaz.

Pictures of all Academic Excellence Awards recipients are available for downloading at the college's web site, www.cccc.edu/academicexcellencepics. They are also available on the college's new CCCC mobile app. Open "images" and go to "college images", then the event.

For more information about Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu or download its mobile app at Apple Store or Google Play.