JCC received $18,000 in funding to award scholarships to students enrolled in Workforce Continuing Education programs
SMITHFIELD – Recipients of the State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Foundation’s Bridge to Career Program funds were recognized during a reception at Johnston Community College (JCC).
JCC received $18,000 in funding from SECU Foundation to assist students enrolled in Workforce Continuing Education programs. SECU Foundation established the Bridge to Career program in 2018 to help remove financial barriers for students seeking to obtain state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials.
During the 2022-2023 program year, eligibility requirements for the SECU Bridge to Career Program were adjusted to better support the state’s postsecondary education attainment goal to have two million working-age North Carolinians possess a high-quality postsecondary credential by 2030. JCC awarded 30 scholarships from the Bridge to Career funding this year.
One scholarship recipient, Andrea Pryce-Roberts, completed the Phlebotomy program this semester. She previously completed the Nurse Aide program and has been accepted into JCC’s Practical Nursing program. Price-Roberts shared that this opportunity gave her a second chance at life. “I never thought it was possible, but they believed in me,” she says.
Another scholarship recipient, Lizbeth Lira, is a first-generation college student. She also completed the Nurse Aide program and is currently enrolled in Phlebotomy. She says she wants to be a nurse one day. “I am somewhere I didn’t think I could be. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” Lira says.
“This program really makes a difference in students’ lives. We are grateful to State Employees Credit Union Foundation for the opportunity to award these scholarships and to help make dreams come true,” says Vice President of Continuing Education Vic McCormick.
“These students are going to go on to serve our communities, boost our regional economy, and pay it forward,” McCormick adds.
2022-23 Bridge to Career Scholarship Recipients: Shana Bagwell, Garner; Diana Botello, Middlesex; Taylor Campbell, Garner; Jennifer Chambers, Clayton; Shelby Clark, Benson; MacKenzie Davis-Sterku, Garner; Olivia Driver, Clayton; Christopher Ellis, Clayton; Mark Gatewood, Clayton; Shanethia Glaspie, Smithfield; Angela King, Goldsboro; Brooke Gross, Middlesex; Kayla McDonald, Selma; Sun Ju Park, Benson; Monique Perry, Smithfield; Andrea Pryce-Roberts, Clayton; Brandy Talcott, Goldsboro; Renée Vega, Clayton; Tomeka Barnes, Kenly; Matilda Pittman, Knightdale; Talia Allen, Wilsons Mills; Ailen Hernandez, Smithfield; Lizbeth Lira, Newton Grove; Carol Mendez, Smithfield; Kamyia Boyd, Clayton; Taylor Patterson, Knightdale; Wesley Massey, Princeton; Samuel Martinez, Clayton; Nathan Berry, Knightdale
Many thanks to the State Employees Credit Union Foundation for providing this assistance to these deserving young people.