Opportunity Greensboro

GUSTAVO SMITH’S NEW BEGINNING

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:45:55 +0000

How a single father transformed his life

“I feel like I’m starting life again.”

By Carla Kucinski/GTCC

Gustavo Smith with daughters Alecia and Brianna.

The moment Gustavo Smith held his newborn daughter Alecia for the first time, his life changed.

“It wasn’t really until I held her and looked at how sweet and innocent and small she was, and I was thinking to myself, ‘If there’s any time in my life that I can make a big change, it’s now,’” Smith said.

The birth of Alecia, followed by the birth of his second daughter, Brianna, two years later, sparked a new beginning for Smith that would inevitably transform him from a man with a difficult past and no direction to a college-bound, loving father with a mission.

“I wanted my daughters to have a better life than I did,” he said. “What I had promised my daughters was that I was going to be there for them and take care of them no matter what.”

Smith’s first step in fulfilling that promise was enrolling full time at Guilford Technical Community College in spring 2011. As a single parent, he struggled to balance work, school and raising two baby girls. There were times when he didn’t have transportation and couldn’t afford childcare. He and his daughters were even homeless at one point, living out of his van during his first semester.

But Smith never lost his faith.

“I stuck in there,” he said. “I didn’t want to give up on them. I had too many people give up on me. I stayed determined, and I persevered to the point where I am now.”

This month, Smith is receiving the Academic Excellence Award from the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Each year NCCCS awards one student from each of its 58 community colleges the Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes students for their academic achievements.

Smith will graduate in May with honors and receive an associate in arts degree in pre-major health and pre-major physical education. His goal is to become a community fitness educator, developing fitness education programs for low socioeconomic communities.

When he walks across the stage on graduation day and holds that degree in his hands, he says he’ll do his best not to cry when he sees his daughters in the audience. They will be a reminder of how far he’s come and the obstacles he overcame to get there. Life, he says, is shining now.

“Back then, it was kind of dark. I was surrounded by dead ends,” he said. “Now, it’s different. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like I’m starting life again with two baby girls at 41 years old.”

***

Life before Alecia and Brianna wasn’t so bright.

Born in Douglas, Ariz., Smith grew up in a broken family and lived in socially and economically disadvantaged areas. He left home at an early age and joined a gang, surrounding himself with drug addicts and alcoholics. At times, he was living on the streets as early as age 13.

“I patterned myself after my environment,” he said. “I really had a hard time trying to adjust to authority figures. That’s what gave me my biggest problem.“

And then one night, a single wrong decision changed the course of his life forever.

Smith committed aggravated robbery of a convenience store, landing him 20 years in a West Virginia prison. He was 22 years old.

“It really didn’t sink in until the judge actually said I was doing 20 flat years in prison; I felt like my heart was going to explode,” Smith said. “The moment of despair was the night when I went into prison. That night was when I started to have regrets.”

***

When Smith entered the prison system, he was full of anger and resentment and had the mentality of “me against the world.”

“I was blaming everything on everybody else but me,” he said.

After constantly fighting corrections officers, he was confined to super maximum lockdown for 3 ½ years and labeled as a level five inmate. “Which is basically saying, ‘I’m the worst of the worst,’” Gustavo explains. “That’s what they labeled me, but that’s not who I am.”

Inside his cell, Smith began to reflect on his life and says he was faced with a choice: Take his own life or make a change.

“That’s when I decided to work out,” he says.

After two years in lockdown, his brother sent him a television that would eventually become Smith’s catalyst for change. Through TV, Smith discovered fitness guru Denise Austin and committed himself to exercise. And thus, a new journey began.

“Early in the morning, I was in the cell working out with Denise Austin,” Smith says laughing. “From there, I just took off on my own.”

Exercise became a motivator for Smith and an outlet for his stress. Physically, emotionally and mentally he started to improve and lost 100 pounds in the process. When the warden took notice of the changes in Smith, he asked if he would train some of the other inmates. So for eight months, Smith led three-hour fitness classes three days a week, teaching programs such as aerobics, yoga and pilates to inmates ages 18 to 65. Before long, his attendance more than doubled and inmates started to see a decrease in their health issues. Smith recalls one inmate in particular who cried as he hugged and thanked Smith; he hadn’t been able to tie his shoes in 20 years. Now he could.

“The difference I made for each person made a difference to me,” he said. “That experience gave me a desire.”

***

Ten years after his sentence, Smith went before the parole board a changed man.

“I didn’t want to be part of a gang anymore. I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. That life leads nowhere. I don’t ever want to return to that.”

By October 2003, he was released and moved to North Carolina looking for work. But he faced the challenge of finding a job as an ex-felon without any skills.

“Even if they liked me, once they found out I was on probation, there were certain biases and judgments against me,” he said. “I was very depressed, and I had a high level of anxiety. I wanted to do better for myself, and I wanted to do better for my family, but I can’t. It was a frustrating time for me. I just felt like I had gotten to the point where life was basically over. I wanted to just quit.”

Four years later, his first daughter was born. He started driving cabs for a living, but it wasn’t enough money to support his family. He realized he needed to go back to school in order to develop a career path that would give him a sense of security and fulfillment.

“I had the want, but I didn’t have the direction; that’s what I got from GTCC,” he said. “And I’m glad I came here because if I hadn’t, I don’t know if I would have gotten that kind of direction somewhere else. I knew that would be my passport to the future.”

A College Study Skills course (ACA 118) that he took in his first semester made him reflect on what he wanted to do with his life, he said, and made him realize that the one job he enjoyed most was being a physical fitness trainer in prison.

“I wanted a career that I loved doing,” he said. “That class really helped me make a plan. I know the benefits of exercise. I know how it energizes you, how it motivates you. I want to make a difference because I know how much of a difference it made for me in prison.“

***

Smith’s first semester was the toughest, caring for his two girls while attending school and struggling financially. For two months, he and his daughters lived in his van. Both girls were still in diapers. He was bottle feeding one and potty training the other.

“That was a low point,” he said. “I was still going to school, still making sure I took them somewhere to make sure they bathed. Even during the time we were going through that, anyone who looked at my daughters could not see the kind of living arrangements (we had). They didn’t even know we were homeless.”

During that time, he relied on the kindness of strangers who extended a helping hand. His cab customers who grew to know him and his girls would sometimes invite them for dinner or let them sleep in a spare bed for the night. He became friends with a few employees at local restaurants who offered him free food.

When Ednalyn Hurley, a counselor at GTCC, discovered that Smith and his family were homeless, she made a few phone calls and pooled together resources to secure housing for Smith and his daughters. For eight weeks they stayed at a Greensboro hotel until an apartment finally came through with the Greensboro Housing Authority. Hurley also worked with Smith personally to make sure his family had food, clothing and childcare and connected him with resources in the community to assist him in those areas.

“She’s been a big support to me here at GTCC,” Smith said of Hurley.

“It wasn’t anything that I did; he did all the work,” Hurley says. “He just needed some guidance. I was just a conduit to make those things flow and happen in his life. He tries to give me all the credit for all these things I’ve done to help him, but he doesn’t realize how much he has helped me.”

Since Smith first arrived at GTCC, Hurley has seen him grow as a person, a student and a father. Through her encouragement, he joined a single parent support program at GTCC where Hurley says he became instrumental in changing the mindset of some of the single mothers in the group who had negative past experiences with men in their lives.

“Gustavo is the perfect role model. He’s not a deadbeat father. He’s involved in his children’s life,” Hurley said. “He’s very dedicated, loyal and committed to those girls. He has unconditional love for those children. He’s a wonderful human being.”

As a fatherhood advocate for Triad Baby Love Plus and a community health coach for the NC Healthy Start Organization, Smith uses his life story as a single parent to inspire other fathers to take a more active role in the lives of their children and community. In April 2012, on behalf of the National Healthy Start Association, he spoke on Capitol Hill advocating for continued funding for organizations providing family care services and discussing the impact those services had on him as a single father.

“The bumper sticker on the back of his car says, ‘I Love Being A Dad,’” says Debbie Allison, department chair of Health and Physical Education at GTCC. “But I also believe he loves to succeed as a GTCC student, a single dad, a work-study, a creative thinker and a passionate advocator not only for his beliefs but also for our wellness profession.”

Allison describes Smith as articulate, creative and unique. And he never does anything halfway, especially when it comes to his children.

“I remember as Easter was approaching, he mentioned he needed to find Easter dresses for his little girls, noting their favorite color and style of each one as we talked about the best places to find them. He totally puts them first, staying up all night with them when they’re sick, yet being at school first thing to take a test the next day, meet with his study group and still getting to work on time,” Allison said. “He is so totally taking every opportunity to be positive with this ‘second chance’ in his life.”

In the end, despite all the struggles Smith endured throughout his life, he says it was all meant to happen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be where he is today. Before GTCC, Smith says he felt trapped by labels, insecurities and his past. But now, he says he feels “liberated, invigorated and empowered.”

“I can have a rough day at school and go home, and my daughters will do something crazy, and I’ll just laugh. Or when I see how much they really need me, to see them laying in their own bed with their little restful faces, stuff like that makes me happy,” he says. “I made a difference. I actually feel like I belong. I’m not a number. I’m not a statistic. I’m more than that.

“I am no longer bound to being a product of excuses, environment or my past. Instead, my GTCC courses, instructors and staff have freed me with a Titan’s strength to find a new direction in life and overcome the gaps that separated my visions and dreams.”

SCHOLARSHIP HELPS STUDENT ATTAIN NEXT STEP

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:45:46 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2013

From left to right: Dr. Randy Parker, president of GTCC; Maggie Lindley, scholarship recipient; Jason J. Knight, community involvement specialist at Crumley Roberts, LLP; Chris Roberts, president and CEO of Crumley Roberts.

JAMESTOWN – When Maggie Lindley graduated from North Davidson High School, she was unsure of her next step.

“I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do,” said Lindley, who grew up in Lexington, N.C.

Today, the 28-year-old’s future is clearer and more focused. Guilford Technical Community College helped her get there.

“Places like GTCC are instrumental in really finding what you want to do,” said Lindley of Greensboro. “I’m surrounded by people who help you with that focus.”

At GTCC, Lindley found her passion and a fulfilling career path in construction management, a field that she finds diverse and challenging and appeals to her problem-solving and communications skills. All it took was one class and Lindley says she was hooked.

“It’s always something different,” she says. “The structure of this field is so diverse.”

In May 2013, Lindley graduated with honors from GTCC with an associate degree in applied science in construction management technology and is now poised for success. She will transfer to North Carolina A&T State University in the fall to complete her bachelor’s degree in construction management with the goal of becoming a senior project manager one day.

To help Lindley achieve her next step to a four-year institution, Crumley Roberts, LLP has awarded her a $2,500 Next Step Scholarship that will go toward her tuition at N.C. A&T.

Each year, the law firm awards scholarships to community college students planning to transfer to an accredited four-year college or university. Lindley was one of three community college students chosen for the scholarship based on her essay response to the issue of how to decrease the number of death and injuries caused by distracted drivers. In her essay, Lindley recommended that students in driver’s education be taught with a manual transmission car. Lindley wrote:

“By encouraging students to drive cars with manual transmissions as opposed to automatic, we are occupying hands, feet and mind. Driving a manual transmission requires more focus on the part of the driver, it is more difficult to master, and it leaves little time for texting, talking on the cell phone or fidgeting with the radio.”

To date, Crumley Roberts has awarded $175,000 in scholarships and technology to college-bound students.

“We believe these students are the leaders of tomorrow, and we are proud to encourage their continued growth and success,” said Chris Roberts, President and CEO of Crumley Roberts.

Maggie Lindley at GTCC’s 47th Commencement on May 9, 2013.

Ten years ago, Lindley never imagined she would be where she is today.

“It’s been a journey,” she says with a smile.

That journey began when she graduated from high school unsure of her career path. Still, she forged ahead and enrolled at UNCG, majoring in journalism simply because she enjoyed writing, she says. But it wasn’t her passion.

Studious, bright and driven, Lindley was a straight-A high school student. But when she entered her first semester at UNCG, she had a moment of panic and experienced a bit of culture shock. The classroom size she was used to swelled from 20 to 300 students, and the content and volume of coursework was tougher than she had anticipated. “I’m over my head,” she thought.

That second semester, Lindley did not return to school. Instead, she worked a variety of jobs, searching for her true calling. She waited tables, worked in sales and even received certification as an EMT, but none of it left her fulfilled.

Then, something finally clicked.

HICAPS, a full-service project management company in Greensboro, hired Lindley as a receptionist. Her enthusiasm and drive to excel shined through and caught the attention of her colleagues and the company’s President/CEO, Dan Hood.

“Early on she had an incredible amount of potential,” Hood said. “She became a ‘can-do’ person in the office. Everyone started to give her more work to do. They ultimately would turn to Maggie, and Maggie would make it happen.”

Over time, Lindley gained more responsibility, eventually working her way up to assistant project manager – a position she still holds today. Hood believed in Lindley and wanted to see her grow. Through his encouragement, Lindley took a few blueprint courses at GTCC to expand her knowledge and advance in the company.

“In our business, we try to grow people,” Hood said. “GTCC had the courses, and I was quite aware of them. I followed the GTCC program for years. I’ve been familiar with the institution for a long time, and I knew of the resource. I wanted her to become more proficient at blue print reading and cost estimating. She just accelerated from there.”

Those blueprint reading courses inspired Lindley to pursue her associate’s degree. HICAPS paid for her full tuition and her books. “It was an investment in Maggie,” Hood said.

Lindley continued to work full time for the company while attending classes full time during the evening. She made the President’s and Honors lists and became a member of the Alpha Pi Alpha Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She shared her successes and report cards with Hood, and he’d highlight her accomplishments in the company’s newsletter.

Hood describes Lindley as the “poster child success story for us,” he said. “She really seized it. I think GTCC gave her the confidence that she has no limits. And she’s in that position right now.”

For Lindley, it took Hood to make her realize her own potential and guide her in the right direction.

“He was the nudge I needed,” Lindley said. “I had nothing standing in my way. Finally.”

“I found my calling. It’s a balance of enjoying what I’m doing and being good at it. Now I have this confidence. I can do this. I’m more prepared.”

Guilford Technical Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the NC Community College System. GTCC serves approximately 45,000 students annually from four major campuses and three specialized centers.

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CENTER FOR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY WELCOMES NEW HIRES

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:44:27 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 28, 2013

JAMESTOWN – The Center for Business and Industry at Guilford Technical Community College has hired David Pritchett and Gina Rogers as coordinators/instructors.

David Pritchett most recently served as a Behavior Improvement Specialist with Guilford County Schools. Prior to that he was the Corporate Training Manager at APAC Customer Services in Greensboro, N.C.; Safety and Training Manager for Technimark, Inc. in Asheboro, N.C.; and a trainer/facilitator for Saturn Corporation in Spring Hill, Tenn. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in manufacturing, team building, leadership and customer service.

A Tennessee transplant, Pritchett graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in speech communication. In his spare time, he officiates high school basketball and NCAA baseball games, and most recently he umpired the 2012 NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship.

Gina Rogers has more than 10 years of experience in curricula and instruction design, development and management. Prior to GTCC, Rogers was a self-employed training consultant providing coaching, dialogue group facilitation and instructor-led training services to nonprofit and private sectors across a variety of industries.

A Guilford County native, Rogers has a dual bachelor’s degree in business and psychology from Guilford College. She is currently pursuing a master’s in education, training and performance improvement from Capella University in Minnesota.

The Center for Business and Industry (CBI) delivers corporate training to businesses and industries in Guilford County. CBI offers a variety of resources including training needs assessment to identify a company’s knowledge and skills gap and professional training by credentialed instructors and subject matter experts. For more information, visit http://www.gtcc.edu/the-center-for-business-and-industry.

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GTCC’S CULINARY KNOWLEDGE BOWL TEAM ADVANCES TO NATIONALS

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:44:07 +0000

Five students will compete in the ACF National Convention July 21–25 in Las Vegas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2013

GTCC’s Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team is pictured from left to right: Plamen Marinov, Anna Reavis, Marantha Norris, Alexia D’Egidio and Nicole Bianchi with Danielle Duran’s team jacket.

JAMESTOWN – How many pairs of legs do edible crabs have? What is the most popular open face sandwich? Mung beans make what type of noodle?

These are the types of questions that students from Guilford Technical Community College’s Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team immersed themselves in to prepare for the 2013 ACF Southeast Regional Conference, where their culinary skills and knowledge would be tested.

For six months, they lived and breathed culinary terms and facts. And in the end, they outsmarted their competitors in the Southeast.

GTCC’s Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team was named the ACF Southeast Region Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl champions. They received the honor as well as a gold medal at the 2013 ACF Southeast Regional Conference March 1-4 in Louisville, Ky. The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) is the premier professional organization for culinary specialists in North America.

The five-member team includes: Marantha Norris, Alexia D’Egidio, Plamen Marinov, Nicole Bianchi and Anna Reavis. Patrick Sanecki, assistant professor of culinary arts at GTCC, and Michele Prairie, a culinary instructor at GTCC, coached the team. Linda Beitz, an instructor in GTCC’s hotel and restaurant management program, also accompanied the team to the regional competition.

The Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team will advance to the 2013 ACF National Convention July 21–25 in Las Vegas where they will compete against three other regions in the country: Central, Northeast and West.

“We’re going to be competing against the best of the best,” Sanecki said.

The Culinary Knowledge Bowl follows the format of a quiz show where participants are tested on their food knowledge in five categories: culinary, sanitation(ServSafe), culinary math, Escoffier (or classical French) and baking. GTCC placed second at last year’s ACF Southeast Regional event, which motivated this year’s team to do better and to develop a new strategy.

The team practiced three times a week since August using a variety of study methods including mock knowledge bowls, flash cards and even audio tapes recorded by Marantha Norris, team captain. When the students weren’t practicing as a team, they were listening to Norris’ audio tapes in the car or walking to class.

“We were well prepared,” Sanecki said.

GTCC’s win at the Southeast Regional Conference was particularly meaningful for the team due to the loss of teammate Danielle Duran, who passed away in February. Sanecki described her as an asset to the team.

“It shocked us all,” Sanecki said. “The way they were able to come back from that was something. I didn’t think we’d recover.”

“We really wanted to win it for her,” Norris added.

As the team prepares for the national competition, Duran remains close to their hearts. To honor her, they traveled to Louisville with her chef jackets and will do the same when they compete in Las Vegas. Norris says having Duran’s chef coats with them makes it feel like she is there in spirit.

The Culinary Knowledge Bowl Team has received funding for both competitions through the GTCC Foundation, Inc., Canada Cutlery, ACF North Carolina Chapter and other fundraising efforts by the team. They are currently accepting additional donations to fund its Las Vegas trip. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Patrick Sanecki at (336) 334-4822 ext. 50472 or pdsanecki@gtcc.edu.

About the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl: Created in 1992 and sponsored by American Technical Publishers, the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl is named in honor of past ACF National President Baron H. Galand, CEC, AAC, HOF, who championed junior members and encouraged them to get involved in their profession outside the kitchen. ACF knowledge bowls are open to junior culinary teams from ACF chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools. Competition questions are drawn from five nationally published textbooks for culinary professionals that cover topics such as nutrition, safety and sanitation, and the art of modern cooking. For more information, visit http://www.acfchefs.org.

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22 GTCC STUDENTS WIN FIRST PLACE AT SKILLS COMPETITION

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:43:57 +0000

18 students will advance to nationals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2013

JAMESTOWN – Guilford Technical Community College placed first in 17 contests last week in the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference April 24 – 25 in Greensboro. Eighteen GTCC students will move forward to compete in the SkillsUSA 49th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) June 24-28 in Kansas City, Mo. Accompanying them will be 11 advisors.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Through its local, state and national competitions, students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

“This is a very good year for GTCC on the state and national level,” said Jeff Faircloth, Skills USA chapter advisor and department chair of Automotive Systems Technology at GTCC. “Traditionally, the numbers are a bit smaller. Over the past several years, GTCC has had at least one contestant or team win a medal at the national level, with many placing in the top five. I am optimistic GTCC will bring home several medals from the national conference.”

GTCC’s SkillsUSA chapter includes 101 members (75 students and 26 professionals). At this year’s state conference, 54 registered competitors from GTCC participated in 26 different contest areas. For the first time, GTCC took home first place in CNC Milling Technology, second place in CNC Turning Technology as well as first place in Dental Assisting and Health Occupational Portfolio.

Below is a list of GTCC students who placed fifth or higher in this year’s SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference:

Advertising Design

Amanda McDowell – 2^nd

Stuart Mize – 4^th

Daniel Cole – 5^th

Automotive Service Technology

William (Vic) Yancey – 4^th

Aviation Maintenance Technology

Colby Myers – 1^st

Carpentry

Will McCutcheon - 2^nd

Eric Rosenquist – 3^rd

John Xiong – 4^th

Criminal Justice Quiz Bowl (Team Event)

Tanya Malinovsky – 1^st

Amanda Bryant – 1^st

Karen Sink – 1^st

Diana McMath – 1^st

Crime Scene Investigation (Team Event)

Sara Apple– 1^st

Nathan Bauguess– 1^st

Zachary Luckett – 1^st

Criminal Justice

James (Tyler) Ziglar – 1^st

Logan Wright – 2^nd

Tanya Malinovsky – 3^rd

Automotive Refinishing Technology (Collision Repair Technology)

Adam Dodson – 1^st

James Boggan – 3^rd

Christopher Tunstall – 5^th

Men’s Haircutting

Roberta Trent – 1^st

Fantasy Hair and Makeup

Shanna Taylor – 1^st (Clarice Brown – 1^st- Fantasy Hair and Makeup Model)

Hannah Jones – 2^nd (Victoria Crowley – 2^nd-Fantasy Hair and Makeup Model)

Nail Care

Jocelyn Jones-Richardson – 1^st

Emily Mitchell – 1^st (Nail Care Model)

Cosmetology (Beginners)

Erika Donnell – 1^st

Kellee Rabon – 2^nd

Brandy Peeler – 3^rd

Restaurant Service

Michael Nasrallah – 1^st

Culinary Arts

Justin Yates Enloe – 1^st

Commercial Baking

Alexia D’Egidio – 1st

Diesel Equipment Technology

Christopher Amos – 2^nd

Related Technical Math

Chrismond Jean-Jaques – 1^st

Telecommunication Cabling

Erskin Tillery – 1^st

Samson Sorsenginh – 3^rd

CNC Milling Technology

Kernsie Shrewsbury – 1^st

CNC Turning Technology

Adam White – 2^nd

Dental Assisting

Meredith Martin – 1^st

Health Occupations Portfolio

Jaime Fick – 1^st

Job Skills Demo (Team Event)

Whitni Fields – 2^nd

Shanna Camp – 2^nd

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GTCC RECEIVES $932,500 GRANT FOR AVIATION EXPANSION

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:43:48 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 23, 2013

JAMESTOWN – Guilford Technical Community College has received a $932,500 grant from the Cemala Foundation. The contribution will be used to expand GTCC’s Aviation programs beginning in fall 2013.

Based in Greensboro and founded by Ceasar Cone II and his wife Martha, the Cemala Foundation will fund $795,000 for the Aviation program’s expansion and $137,500 for student scholarships to be officially named Cemala Aviation Scholarships.

“The Cemala Foundation’s gift increases GTCC’s capacity to train technicians to an unprecedented level for what we have determined is a highly-productive future for the private aviation industry in Guilford County and the Piedmont Triad Region,” said Dr. Randy Parker, president of GTCC. “Guilford Tech owns an exemplary record for stewardship, and we will manage the Cemala gift to produce the greatest value for our students, their families and the communities we serve.”

Ceasar Cone II was at one time the chairman of the Airport Authority and saw the potential for growth in the aviation industry locally. For years, he purchased land around the Piedmont Triad International Airport and held onto it until the airport could afford to purchase it at market price.

“He was a true visionary in understanding the huge role that the airport and aviation could play in the growth and economy of our region,” said Susan Schwartz, executive director of the Cemala Foundation. “Our vision of Greensboro includes a vibrant economy with people earning a living wage. We know there are and will continue to be jobs available in the aviation cluster.”

The grant will allow GTCC to increase enrollment and faculty positions in its Aviation Systems Technology (AST) and Aviation Electronics Technology (AET) programs.

“GTCC is positioned to train people for these jobs, and our grant will enable GTCC to train more people now and into the future,” Schwartz said.

The expansion also will help fulfill local industry needs. Kevin Carter, CEO of TIMCO Aviation Services said, “TIMCO and other employers in the Triad aviation community see ongoing opportunities for continued growth in the coming years. This important grant for GTCC can help support our need for highly skilled men and women in well-paying jobs.”

Currently, GTCC enrolls three sections of 24 students each fall semester in its AST program and two sections of 18 students in its AET program. The Cemala grant will allow GTCC to add 25 students to the AST program beginning in fall 2013 and 20 students to the AET program beginning in fall 2014. This plan will add at least 90 students to these respective programs over a three-year period.

To accommodate the estimated enrollment growth, four new faculty positions will be created over a four-year period and additional training equipment will be purchased.

David Mayers, Aviation Electronics program coordinator at GTCC; Susan Schwartz, executive director of the Cemala Foundation; Dr. Randy Parker, president of GTCC; Gene Kearns, department chair of Aviation Systems Technology at GTCC; Dr. Richard Pagan, division chair of transportation at GTCC.

Coy O. Williard, Jr., chair of the GTCC Board of Trustees, expressed his gratitude for the generosity of the Cemala Foundation and other organizations over the years that have supported GTCC’s mission to prepare a trained, highly-skilled workforce for the aviation industry.

“In expressing our thanks to the Cemala Foundation for their generous gift, I would also like to acknowledge the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, Duke Energy and the Golden Leaf Foundation for their contributions to the promotion of this major industry in Guilford County,” Willard said.

Pat Danahy, president and CEO of the Greensboro Partnership and member of the GTCC Board of Trustees, added: “With this commitment, the Cemala Foundation, one of Greensboro’s and the region’s most historic links to our traditional industrial manufacturing history, is setting the stage for advanced manufacturing in the 21st century. This major pledge supports GTCC’s mission to significantly train more technicians to bolster the private education industry in Guilford County and the Piedmont Triad.”

David Powell, president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a private, nonprofit economic development organization, commended the Cemala Foundation for making a strategic investment in the region’s future by providing funding for the expansion of GTCC’s Aviation programs.

“There is a dynamic and growing cluster of aviation companies in the Piedmont Triad region,” Powell said. “With more than 6,200 people employed in this sector here, we need to continue to strengthen and expand the training programs for these jobs.”

About the Cemala Foundation: The Cemala Foundation was chartered in 1986 by Martha and Ceasar Cone II. A son of the co-founder of Cone Mills, Mr. Cone was president and chairman of the textile manufacturing corporation headquartered in Greensboro from 1956 to 1973. Mr. Cone died in November 1986. The foundation received its initial endowment from the estate of Mrs. Cone after her death in 1993 and began operations in 1994.

The Cones envisioned the Foundation as a way of continuing the family’s history of personal and business commitment to Greensboro. With an understanding that tomorrow’s issues and problems might differ from today’s, the Foundation charter places no limitation on the charitable projects to be undertaken but entrusts the board to respond to changing times and needs.

The Cemala Foundation continues a family tradition of commitment to enhancing the quality of life of the community through grants to qualified organizations. For more information, visit http://www.cemala.org.

About GTCC: Guilford Technical Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the NC Community College System. GTCC serves approximately 45,000 students annually from four major campuses and three specialized centers. For more information, visit www.gtcc.org.

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GTCC TO BREAK GROUND ON NEW AVIATION BUILDING

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:27:57 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 20, 2013

GREENSBORO – Guilford Technical Community College will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the future GTCC Aviation Building III at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21. Program and reception will be held at Aviation Center II, 819 Radar Road, Greensboro. Media are encouraged to attend.

Speakers will include:

· Dr. Randy Parker, President of GTCC

· Coy O. Williard, GTCC Board of Trustees Chairman

· Michimasa Fujino, President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company

· Linda Shaw, Guilford County Board of Commissioners Board Chair.

The new 41,000-square-foot facility will accommodate the aviation program’s growing enrollment and allow for additional programs. Currently, the college conducts classes at the T.H. Davis Aviation Center (36,000 square feet of classrooms and labs, plus a 12,000-square-foot hangar), located at 260 N. Regional Road, as well as the Aviation Center II building (64,000 square feet), located at 819 Radar Road.

Aviation III will house GTCC’s Aviation Management and Career Pilot programs and additional classrooms for customized industry training. Aviation III also will be the first building and land that GTCC owns at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. Aviation III is expected to open in Spring 2014, with classes beginning by Aug. 2014.

President Randy Parker hailed the groundbreaking as a prime example of GTCC’s strategic plan to sharpen the cutting edge of a statewide initiative to prepare skilled employees for the new age of advanced manufacturing and aviation management that will spark the productive future of Guilford County and North Carolina.

The $10 million facility was funded by state funds and county bonds. Board Chair Coy O. Williard Jr. of High Point chose the Aviation III groundbreaking to thank the people of Guilford County for supporting the GTCC Bond vote in 2008 that financed this major addition to GTCC’s nationally recognized Aviation program.

Dr. Richard Pagan, GTCC’s Transportation Division Chair, who oversees the Aviation Center, says that the new facility will put GTCC one step closer to becoming the aviation training center of North Carolina.

“I think it’s a benchmark,” Dr. Pagan said. “We are heading into that direction of becoming the aviation mecca of North Carolina. I think we’re well on our way with that.”

GTCC’s aviation expansion will also fulfill the demand for skilled and trained workers in the growing aviation industry worldwide and locally, particularly in maintenance and manufacturing, Pagan said.

GTCC offers an Associate in Applied Science Degree in four areas of study: Aviation Electronics (Avionics) Technology, Aviation Management, Career Pilot Technology and Aviation Systems Technology. It also offers certificates in five areas of study under the Aviation Management/Career Pilot Technology and Aviation Systems Technology programs.

An articulation agreement between GTCC and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — the world’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious university specializing in aviation and aerospace — allows GTCC graduates from the Maintenance, Aviation Management and Career Pilot programs to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics at GTCC’s Aviation Center.

Since Fall 2006, enrollment in GTCC’s aviation programs has increased from 150 students to 337 students in Fall 2012. Students also exhibited high pass rates for licensure and certification exams in the following programs from 2010-2011:

· Aviation – General: 100% (31 students)

· Aviation – Air Frame: 100% (29 students)

· Aviation – Power Plant: 95% (21 students)

“We project that enrollments will continue to grow based on industry needs both locally and nationally,” said Audrey Floyd, Department Chair of Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology. “With the Pilot and Management classes moving to AV3, this frees up space at the Aviation Center and AV2 for additional maintenance classes. It also allows room for Aircraft Dispatcher students and hopefully Air Traffic Control Students as well. We hope our enrollments could increase up to 60 to 75 percent over the next few years.”

Local flight schools and aviation businesses including TIMCO, Honda Aircraft Company, Landmark Aviation and Atlantic Aero, Inc. have hired GTCC graduates. Regionally and nationally students also have been hired by GoJet Airlines, American Eagle, Comair, US Airways, GE, U.S. Customs, US Forest Service, various Fixed Base Operators and flight schools.

More than four decades ago, former GTCC President, Luther Medlin, purchased the first airplane to jump start the college’s aviation program. A two-year Aviation Management Technology program began in Fall 1969. By Nov. 1970, the State Board of Education approved a two-year program in Avionics and a one-year program in Air Frame and Power Plant Mechanics.

The GTCC Aviation Center opened in March 1991 at the southwest corner of the Piedmont Triad International Airport where students could pursue an Associate in Applied Science in Career Pilot/Management or Aircraft Maintenance Technology. By Aug. 1992, 51 students graduated with associate degrees. Aviation facilities and its programs continued to expand in 2009 with the opening of the Aviation II building. And now, the growth of the Aviation Campus will continue with Aviation III.

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GTCC’S AVIATION CAMPUS TO BECOME ‘THE HEART OF THE INDUSTRY’

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:27:51 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 22, 2013

GREENSBORO – On Feb. 21, Guilford Technical Community College made a step toward becoming what GTCC President Randy Parker describes as “the heart of the aviation industry in Guilford County, North Carolina and the eastern United States,” with the groundbreaking of the future GTCC Aviation Building III.

GTCC officials as well as city and county representatives gathered at the college’s aviation campus near the Piedmont Triad International Airport to turn the first ceremonial shovels of dirt and celebrate this milestone event.

“This is a very exciting day for Guilford Technical Community College,” Parker said. “GTCC continues its legacy as a leader in workforce development. We have a lot to be proud of.”

The new 41,000-square-foot-facility will accommodate the aviation program’s growing enrollment and allow for additional programs. Currently, the college conducts classes at the T.H. Davis Aviation Center (36,000 square feet of classrooms and labs, plus a 12,000-square-foot hangar), located at 260 N. Regional Road, as well as the Aviation Center II building (64,000 square feet), located at 819 Radar Road.

Aviation III is expected to open in Spring 2014, with classes beginning by Aug. 2014.

“We’re here to train the workforce for the future in the aviation field,” Dr. Parker said in his remarks prior to the groundbreaking. “Today, the program is expanding. It is growing and will continue to grow. This is not a pipedream.”

Coy O. Williard, GTCC Board of Trustees Chairman; Steve Johnston, Senior Division Director of Administration at Honda Aircraft; and Linda Shaw, Guilford County Board of Commissioners Board Chair also shared opening remarks.

Williard thanked the people of Guilford County for supporting the GTCC Bond vote in May 2008 that helped finance this $10 million facility along with state funds.

“This facility is a prime example of the trust and respect the people of Guilford County have demonstrated for Guilford Technical Community College,” he said. “GTCC has managed the money allocated by county and state budgets with care and integrity. Taxpayer dollars and citizen trust have contributed to the training and maintenance of a skilled workforce.”

GTCC’s aviation expansion also will fulfill the demand for skilled and trained workers in the growing aviation industry worldwide and locally. Local flight schools and aviation businesses including TIMCO and Honda Aircraft Company have hired GTCC graduates.

“We at Honda know perfectly well that dreams have the greatest power when they are shared and then realized,” Johnston said. “The dream of an aviation cluster in the Piedmont-Triad region is shared by many people in this room. Many people contributed to making this dream a reality. Guilford Technical Community College has had and will continue to have a very vital leadership role in fulfilling this dream.”

Johnston said the construction of Aviation III will help create what Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, calls an “aerotechnopolis,” a region with a solid foundation in aviation-related engineering, research and manufacturing.

“We’re often asked if Greensboro is a good place to do business, and do we have all of the trained people – the skill sets – we need to be successful here. This groundbreaking ceremony is evidence that GTCC is not just aspiring to train a few people, in fact, they’re developing a present and future capability; it’s a capability to provide whatever skill sets aviation-related industries will need both in the present and in the future, and for both existing companies, and for those who will choose to come here in the future.”

GTCC was one of the key factors that Honda Aircraft considered when they chose to located to Guilford County, according to Shaw. She applauded GTCC’s aviation program for helping to attract more companies to our region.

“We have a skilled work force like no other in the state,” Shaw said. “With the growth in aviation, the sky really is the limit for our county and the graduates of this program. This nationally recognized program gives our region and our students an edge in the economy by preparing them with advanced educations and hands-on experience.

Shaw also thanked Guilford County citizens for their support in making the Aviation III building a reality, and added that without that support “this day wouldn’t have been possible.”

“Investing in education is one of the most important ways that we as a community can support economic development in Guilford County,” she said. “I look forward to the day we cut the ribbon of this building and open the doors to a future of aviation in our region.”

For more information about GTCC’s aviation programs, call (336) 334-4822 ext. 59011 or http://www.gtcc.edu.

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GTCC STUDENTS WIN 24 ADDY AWARDS

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:27:45 +0000

Annual competition recognizes professional and student designers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 28, 2013

GTCC’s 2013 student ADDY winners are pictured left to right: Front row – Megan Kirkwood, Cynthia Graf; Back row – Jordan Tickle, Ashley McKinney, Alex Moreira, Jonathan Greer, Amanda McDowell; Winners not pictured – Justin Jackson, Alexander Amick

JAMESTOWN – Nine advertising and graphic design students at Guilford Technical Community College won 24 awards at this year’s 2013 ADDY Awards Competition on Saturday, Feb.16 at Embassy Suites in Greensboro.

Presented by AAF Triad, a chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the ADDY Awards is an annual design competition for professional and student designers. Among the 63 student entries AAF Triad received, 24 awards were given. Top awards went to Best of Show winners Cynthia M. Graf and Jonathan Greer as well as Judges’ Choice winner Jordan Tickle, all of whom are GTCC students.

“We are really proud of the education our students receive from the instructors in our program,” said Awilda DeJesus, assistant professor of advertising and graphic design at GTCC. “We train our students to be ready to enter the design industry. We push them to try new and innovative approaches to design by staying current with the latest design trends.”

DeJesus says the ADDY Awards gives students an opportunity to get their name and their work out there, which could lead to potential job offers.

“The ADDY’s is a good networking opportunity,” she said. “The professional agencies that are present are seeing future designers and prospective employees. In the past, I have gotten phone calls requesting the contact information for the ADDY winners.”

According to AAF Triad, selection of the most creative entry in each category is determined by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of each entry. A GOLD ADDY® is recognition of the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the competition. Entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a SILVER ADDY®.

The number of awards given in each category is determined by the judges, based on the relative quality of work in that category. Judges are not required to give awards in every category.

Congratulations to the following GTCC students who received ADDY awards:

Best of Show

• Cynthia M. Graf

• Jonathan Greer

Cynthia Graf won Best of Show for her cut paper illustration.

Jonathan Greer won Best of Show for his illustration, "Sin City."

Judges’ Choice

• Jordan Tickle (two)

Gold ADDY

• Justin Owen Jackson

• Amanda Janelle McDowell (two gold)

• Cynthia M. Graf

• Jonathan Greer

• Jordan Tickle (two gold)

Silver ADDY

• Justin Owen Jackson (two silver)

• Alex Moreira

• Alexander Amick

• Amanda Janelle McDowell (two silver)

• Jordan Tickle

• Cynthia M. Graf

• Jonathan Greer

• Megan Kirkwood

• Ashley McKinney (two silvers)

About GTCC’s Advertising and Graphic Design program: GTCC’s Advertising and Graphic Design curriculum is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for employment in the graphic design profession. The program emphasizes design, advertising, illustration and digital and multimedia preparation of printed and electronic promotional materials. Students can earn an Associate in Applied Science degree, Computer Graphics Certificate or Photography Certificate. For more information contact Margaret Reid, department chair of advertising and graphic design, at (336) 334-4822 ext. 50451 or mmreid@gtcc.edu.

About AAF Triad: AAF Triad is a chapter of the national American Advertising Federation. It serves a diverse membership consisting of small to large companies and individual business owners of the Piedmont Triad representing all communications segments, including marketing, advertising, public relations, media, photography, printing, sales promotion and technology. For more information, visit http://www.aaftriad.org.

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FIRST STEEL BEAM RAISED ON GTCC’S NEWEST CAMPUS

GTCCThrivesHere — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:27:37 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 14, 2013

OAK RIDGE – The first steel beam on Guilford Technical Community College’s Donald W. Cameron Campus was raised on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

GTCC officials, including President Randy Parker, gathered to witness this landmark moment on the new 100-acre campus located at 1117 NC Highway 68 in Oak Ridge. This will be the college’s fourth campus.

The beam is the first to be erected for the Center for Business and Industry, which will house the North Carolina Center for Global Logistics. The expected completion date is Spring 2014. The 97,500 square feet space will be used for academic programs and will include a 250-seat auditorium for conference-style events.

The North Carolina Center for Global Logistics is a collaborative project of Guilford Technical Community College, Davidson County Community College, Forsyth Technical Community College, Randolph Community College and the Piedmont Triad Partnership. It acts as a resource center for the Transportation and Logistics industry by providing education, workforce development and advisory services to individuals and businesses.

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