…A Community College Experience
My community college experience has gone full circle. From the east to the
west, community college has been a pathway to success for me and my
students.
I graduated from Lenoir Community College in Kinston, N.C. in 1977 as
their first female student body president. Then I transferred to East Carolina
University and became a teacher. I am now entering my 34th year in
education.
I currently teach at the Rowan County Early College High School on the
campus of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury, N.C. where our
students recently celebrated a score of A+ with no gaps and a 100 percent
graduation rate.
While attending Lenoir Community College, I worked part-time at a store at
a mall in Kinston, as many young people do, proving you can balance work
and earn good grades at the same time with determination. I maintained
lasting friendships that we still continue today.
The quality of education I received prepared me to go right into my major
and graduate on time to start teaching in the fall after commencement. I
chose to earn an Associate of Arts in liberal arts. My hard-working parents
struggled financially to put me through school, so living at home for the
first two years was a “win-win” for all of us. I proudly display my degree
certification in my classroom today, inspiring my students that theirs will be
a path to success.
Today, I am in year seven teaching at the Rowan County Early College High
School on the north campus of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. We
are very proud of the work our students do. They work hard to apply for our
program through a rigid application process. They are chosen through a lottery
process that matches the demographics of our Rowan-Salisbury School System.
The students start right away taking college classes alongside their high
school curriculum. We have clubs, prom, service projects, societies (like the
National Honor Society), and student government. It is an honor to teach at
an early college, especially one that has excelled. I wish this program had
been around when I went to school because this would have been “right up
my alley.” Motivated students motivate other students.
My brother attended Wayne Community College and studied how to operate
heavy equipment. This opened an opportunity for him to work for the North
Carolina Department of Transportation. He told fascinating stories about
driving in and out of excavated phosphorus mines.
Now, with new badges and Journeys in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM), the outdoors, life skills and beyond,
there are even more opportunities to build her confidence and
prepare her for the lifetime of success, and adventure she deserves
—all in a safe, no-limits place designed by and for every girl.
www.hngirlscouts.org or (704)731-6500
My classmates studied automotive mechanics, hairdressing, and more,
and went on to have successful careers and owning their own businesses.
One of my classmates went on to write for television comedy, another
is in theater, while another has traveled all over the world with a degree
in electronics. We are older now and get to look back and see where our
community college degrees have taken us all.
There is value in starting as a big fish in a small pond, where you can live at
home and gradually spread your wings. I can’t help but wonder if I had not
chosen the community college as my starting point, if I would have been
confident enough to run for school president. I can still remember the small
class sizes, connections and lasting friendships.
Theresa Pierce
World and American History
Rowan County Early College
Parent Teacher Magazine • Sept/Oct 2018 • 7