WCC Recognizes New Global Scholars

New Wayne Community College Scholars of Global Distinction are (l-r, front) Jo Bacia, Caleb Mitchell, (back) Mayra Herran, Grace Evans, and Sriya Patel.

Five Wayne Community College students have earned the title of Global Scholar.

Jo Bacia, Sriya Patel, Grace Evans, Caleb Mitchell, and Mayra Herran completed the college’s Scholars of Global Distinction program.

Each student completed 15 or more credit hours of globally intensive courses, participated in at least eight “passport” events (international activities and dialogues) and 30 hours of a global experience, and gave a capstone presentation that tracked their journey through the program.

Their presentations were:
Bacia – “Friends and Culture in Ecuador,”
Evans – “Learning Russian in Kyrgyzstan,”
Herran – “Cubanos por el Mundo (Cubans around the World),”
Mitchell – “Virtual Exchange with Students from Bordeaux, France,” and
Patel – “Experiencing Dubai.”

“They all did such a fantastic, interesting job,” said Allyson Daly, a WCC English instructor and liaison for the Global Scholars program. “Most are waiting to hear where they will be attending school next.”

Evans has been accepted into the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Russian Flagship Program. It is a federally funded initiative that supports undergraduate students of all majors as they attain a professional level of proficiency in the Russian language.

Herran will be starting WCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program in the fall. She hopes to take advantage of the Accelerated Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses program that will allow her to be concurrently enrolled in WCC and East Carolina University to complete both an associate and a bachelor’s degree.

Baccia plans to complete WCC’s associate degree in Teacher Preparation.

Mitchell will finish his Associate in Arts degree this summer and hopes to transfer to North Carolina State University or Duke University.

Patel plans to start at NC State this fall.

Bacia, Evans, and Patel are Wayne School of Engineering students who will receive their high school diplomas this spring.

These students bring the total number of students who have completed the program since it was begun at WCC in 2020 to 14. Joshua Viernes and Alex Calderon earned their certificates last semester.

Students who complete Global Distinction program requirements earn a Scholars of Global Distinction certificate, receive a special white stole embroidered with the program’s logo to wear at WCC’s graduation ceremony, and will have “Graduated with Global Distinction” printed on their academic transcripts.

“Wayne Community College is very proud of these students and their academic accomplishments,” said Vice President of Academic and Student Services Brandon Jenkins. “I hope they use these tremendous learning opportunities as a springboard to pursue bigger and better academic and career goals.”

The North Carolina Scholars of Global Distinction Program is a partnership between community colleges in North Carolina and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s World View program. Twenty-eight of the state’s 58 community colleges offer the program.