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Friday, May 15, 2009 11:44 PM 'Isn't this a great day' at WCC? By Matt Shaw | Times Staff Writer Howard Jones stood Friday night to speak to the soon-to-be graduates of Wilson Community College, all dressed in green robes in the auditorium of Fike High School. He seemed almost speechless for a moment. "You look beautiful," he said, as he wiped his eyes. "I wish you could be up here and see yourselves. Isn't this a great day?" Friday was a day for happy tears. The college graduated 248 students, "one of our largest classes and one of our most diverse," College President Dr. Rusty Stephens said. Jones, founder and president of Opportunities Industrialization Center of Wilson, noted that many of the students had attended college while working full-time jobs, raising families or both. Many of the college's graduates will work in Wilson County or the surrounding areas, "keeping that brain power at home," Jones noted. Graduates were optimistic about the future, even though this wasn't the end of the homework for many of them. Tammy Pate and Angela Barnes, both of Wilson, earned associate degrees in early childhood education. "It's a been long time coming," said Barnes with a laugh. But Pate is planning to continue on and work for a bachelor's degree. "I figure I might as well not stop here. My dream is to own my own child care center," she said. Barnes wants to work for the school system, she said. Michael Robbins, of Wilson County, and Derek Webb, of Elm City, both earned their associate degrees in mechanical engineering technology. Their WCC graduation will be a good step, they said, toward engineering careers, although they both plan to pursue bachelor's degrees. "With this degree, you can branch out," Robbins said. "We can do about anything we want to do," Webb added. Elisabed Serrano, president of WCC's student government association, called her associate's degree in college transfer "just one step on a path. SLps My path continues on, all of ours continue on." mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878 |
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