PITTSBORO - Lauren Hill had her hands in the dirt a lot while earning her Associate in Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture at Central Carolina Community College. She received that, with honors, at the college's May graduation.

Hill is continuing her education in the rich academic soil of Cornell University, a private Ivy League research institution in Ithaca, N.Y. U.S. News & World Report's National University Rankings has named the university No. 16 in the nation for excellence.

"It is quite an honor for our graduate to be accepted to an elite Ivy League school such as Cornell University, which has an acceptance rate of only 16 percent of its applicants," said Dr. Karen Allen, CCCC's Chatham provost. "It speaks volumes about her personal abilities and achievements, as well as to the excellent reputation of the CCCC sustainable agriculture program. We wish her the best, and look forward to hearing of her significant contributions in the years to come."

Hill has been accepted into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, one of Cornell's largest colleges.

"I am really grateful for the opportunity and excited to join that community," Hill said. "As an agricultural science major at Cornell, I want to continue to develop my ability to generate sound agricultural research and learn the latest, most sustainable techniques in the field."

The training she received at CCCC and her hard work made it possible for her to be admitted to Cornell. Based on her work at Central Carolina, she will enter Cornell as a junior. At CCCC, Hill maintained a high grade point average, making the President's List. She also received the college's Academic Excellence Award in Sustainable Agriculture.

Hill was raised in New Jersey, where she loved to garden. Prior to coming to North Carolina in 2011, she spent three years working as an intern for several community supported agriculture (CSA) farms in the Delaware Valley. Her interest in agriculture brought her to North Carolina because of its good growing season. Living in Chapel Hill, she met some CCCC sustainable agriculture students. Hill liked what she heard about the program at the Chatham County Campus, in Pittsboro, and enrolled.

"My enthusiasm to plant a garden returned after I developed an interest in ecology and an understanding of our collective human impact on the environment," she said. "Attending CCCC's sustainable agriculture program was the next step toward joining those interests. The college offers courses that helped me develop a foundation in farm management practices that are sustainable and conserve resources."

It was at CCCC that Hill learned Cornell is the trusted resource for and a leader in sustainable agricultural research. She wanted the best training, so she applied there with the goal of a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science with a concentration in sustainability.

According to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website, http://cals.cornell.edu, only about 300 transfer students are accepted each year from applicants across the nation and around the world. Hill has became one of this select group.

Hill said that she will always appreciate the time she spent at Central Carolina and all she learned.

"I have really enjoyed my time at CCCC," she said. "The sustainable agriculture instructors are extremely knowledgeable and well-connected to the farming community. They go above and beyond in their effort to connect students to valuable resources and regional experts."

For more information on CCCC's sustainable agriculture program, visit www.cccc.edu, call Robin Kohanowich at 919-545-8031 or email rkohanowich@cccc.edu.