Each year, Sampson Community College selects a student who has shown tremendous academic stature to receive the Academic Excellence Award. In addition to the award, the student is recognized at year-end commencement ceremonies. This is a coveted award that was won this year by Lauren Strickland.
“Being able to make use of the Career and College Promise program as well as scholarships provided by Sampson Community College allowed me to finish my degree a year early,” Lauren says. “Starting college early forced me to be more proactive, organized, and more communicative. My experience with college was unconventional from registration for my first semester. For one thing, that registration period happened during the summer before my junior year of high school.”
Each year, all 58 NC community colleges select one of their students as the Academic Excellence award recipient. To be selected as an Academic Excellence award recipient, the student must have completed twelve credit hours in an associate degree program, must be currently enrolled, and must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of no less than 3.25.
“I have only had her in online classes, but she goes over and beyond on everything,” says one of her instructors, Lauren Huskey. “I don’t know that she has ever turned an assignment in late or missed a deadline. She is great! Very sweet, super motivated, and committed to her education.”
Strickland was selected based on her outstanding academic performance as a CCP student and traditional student, and faculty recommendations. Blair Hairr, Dean of Student Services says it was a pleasure to notify her of the selection.
“Lauren took full advantage of the CCP dual-enrollment opportunity and completed a year’s worth of her degree program while in high school,” she says. “Lauren is a perfect example of how CCP allows students to successfully jump-start their two-year degree. We are very proud of Lauren and look forward to further recognizing her accomplishments during this year’s graduation ceremony. Lauren will graduate from Sampson Community College with an A.A.S. degree in Business Administration.”
That she won the award is amazing enough, but it is even more of an incredible feat considering that Lauren had additional barriers to overcome to reach this level.
“I was diagnosed at 14 with clinical depression and major social anxiety that regularly worked together to make it difficult to get out of bed and go about my day,” she says. “Just over five years later, I’ve gotten to a point where group projects and talking about what’s on my mind have gotten much easier. In fact, I decided to make a career out of it by pursuing human resources. Going to a community college helped me immeasurably with making connections and moving forward with my goals.”
To find out how Sampson Community College can help you jumpstart your life and career, visit us on Facebook or at http://www.sampsoncc.edu..
About Sampson Community College: Sampson Community College is a member of the North Carolina Community College System, located in Clinton, NC in Sampson County. The college offers many programs to include two-year degrees, college transfer, continuing education and workforce development options and early college education. SCC is committed to the principles of equal educational and employment opportunities for all.
