College Recognizes High School Equivalency and Curriculum Certificate Completers
Published: August 11, 2017
In 2016-17, 143 students earned their high school equivalency diploma.
Johnston Community College hosted a summer commencement ceremony Aug. 10 for students who earned high school equivalency diplomas this year. Also, students who earned curriculum program certificates were recognized at the 7 p.m. ceremony on the main campus in Smithfield.
In 2016-17, 118 students earned their high school equivalency diploma from the main campus and an additional 25 were awarded at Johnston Correctional Institute. A total of 143 curriculum certificates were awarded.
Thomas Currier, a true JCC success story, was the guest speaker. Currier earned his high school equivalency diploma from JCC in 1999. He returned in 2008 and enrolled as a curriculum student, where he served as SGA and Phi Theta Kappa president. In addition, he was a Robert W. Scott Leadership finalist and a graduate of the Student Leadership Institute. Currier now holds an associate’s degree in accounting from JCC and bachelor’s degrees in both accounting and business administration from N.C. Wesleyan College. Moreover, in the spring of 2015, he completed a master’s of science in management and leadership from Montreat College.
Currier encouraged students to take a seat. He said he believes that in every successful person’s life there are three symbolic seats - the seat of reverance, the seat of defeat and the seat of opportunity.
“You may not be able to see your seat of opportunity now, but it is out there and yours to claim,” Currier said. “It’s much better to be prepared for an opportunity that does not exist than to have that opportunity and not be preapred, when the seat of opportunity presents itself. For the love of humanity please take a seat. We need you at the table. We need your passion and commitment.”
Stop by any Tuesday or Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. or any Wednesday or Thursday at 8:00 a.m. with a valid ID to take advantage of open enrollment for basics skills classes. For more information, please contact (919) 209-2122 or (919) 209-2123.