A recognition event will be held Tuesday, May 19, from 3:30–5 p.m. in the Barnhill-Jenkins Center for Innovation’s Multipurpose Room. Students who competed at the state conference, held April 15–17, will be recognized for their achievements.

This year marked ECC’s largest team, with 65 students traveling to Greensboro. Participants brought home 19 medals, including four gold, four silver, three bronze, along with four fourth-place and four fifth-place awards. Competitions showcased excellence in career and technical fields such as engineering, welding, cosmetology, carpentry and more.

“I am grateful to our students for putting in the extra effort of preparing and competing, and to our advisors for spending extra time with these students helping them prepare,” said Trey Cherry, chair of Information Technology Studies. “I am also grateful for the ongoing support of our administration and our foundation donors who support our participation in SkillsUSA.”

Guests at the celebration will have the opportunity to meet many of the competitors and view several of their award-winning projects. Some local winners will advance to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, taking place June 1–5 in Atlanta, Ga.

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“Built here. Now what?” That was the message delivered by Ron Green, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region, during 91ӣ����Ƶ’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8.

Green emphasized the role of community colleges in shaping students’ futures, telling graduates that being “built” at a community college carries meaning.

Tara Davis

“You see that word ‘community.’ It matters, because community colleges don’t just educate you. They elevate you,” Green said. “They don’t require perfection. They develop potential.”

Green, who has led the organization in the Tar River Region for 14 years, said he related to the graduates. He began his own academic journey at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, an experience he said gave him confidence.

“It taught me that my starting point didn’t define my ceiling,” he said. “Where I began didn’t limit where I could go.”

ECC awarded credentials to 553 graduates in the Class of 2026. The college conferred 207 degrees, 123 diplomas and 223 certificates. Another 55 students completed Adult High School Equivalency or Adult High School diplomas.

ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod encouraged graduates to continue advancing toward their goals.

Eddie Batchelor IV

“Whether your next step is transferring to a four-year institution, returning here for another credential, or applying the training you have received in your career or business, don’t stop moving. Keep going,” McLeod said.

Among the graduates was Tara Davis, ECC’s Academic Excellence Award recipient. Davis earned an associate degree in applied science in surgical technology with a 4.0 grade-point average and is already working as a surgical technology associate at the ECU Health Heart Institute Cardiovascular Operating Room.

Other honorees included Eddie Batchelor IV, recipient of the Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award, which recognizes exemplary student leadership. Batchelor, a student ambassador and member of Phi Theta Kappa, will continue his studies at North Carolina Wesleyan University this fall.

Erma Battle-Mills received the Dallas Herring Achievement Award, presented to a student who exemplifies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.” Battle-Mills earned her high school equivalency at age 76 and is enrolled in ECC’s digital navigator’s course.

Erma Battle-Mills

Three graduates were recognized for having the highest grade-point averages in their academic divisions: Alfredo Hernandez Garcia (Arts and Sciences), Ashley Culbertson (Business, Industry and Technologies) and Taylor Batts (Health Sciences).

Green closed his remarks by encouraging graduates to remember the childhood game rock, paper, scissors as a metaphor for navigating life’s challenges.

“When life looks at you and asks ‘now what?’ remember this,” he said. “The rock—find the person who will hold you down. The paper—keep sharpening your pencil because your story is still being written. Scissors—identify the people, places and things you need to cut out of your life to reach your dreams.”

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New to ECC this year are the First Flight and Esports Scholars Scholarships. High-school graduates with an unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.6 may apply for the First Flight Scholarship. Students who enroll in a degree program at ECC could receive $500 their first year, awarded at $250 each fall and spring semester.

ECC launched the Esports gaming program in the fall. Seeking to build a league of gamers who will compete against other colleges in the state, this scholarship totals $2,000 per year for two years. Recipients must be 2026 high-school graduates of Edgecombe County or a surrounding county, with an unweighted GPA of at least 2.6.

These new scholarships are added to other existing scholarships, making college at ECC even more affordable. For example, qualified students who receive the EDGE scholarship get a fully-funded education for up to two years. Based on in-state tuition, the EDGE Scholarship provides a financial aid package covering tuition, books and fees. Recipients must be current high-school graduates of either Edgecombe County or a surrounding county with an unweighted GPA of at least 2.8. Students must have completed at least six credit hours through the NC Career and College Promise Program or an approved Continuing Education Program with 96 or more contact hours.

The Eagle Mascot Scholarship was established in 2021. The mascot performer delivers excitement as he/she represents ECC at on-campus and community events. The ideal student must take a minimum of six credit hours and maintain a GPA of 2.6 or higher for the $1,000 annual scholarship.

For more information about the Edge, First Flight, Esports Scholars and the Eagle Mascot scholarships, visit edgecombe.edu/scholarships.

The ECC Foundation also offers a number of annual scholarships and endowments totaling awards of approximately $100,000 each year.

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Paige Ashman

Paige Ashman, a six-year employee of the college, received the 2025 ECC Staff Award. The award is given annually to an ECC employee who displays initiative, innovation and leadership in the workplace; and shows commitment and contribution to the mission of the institution and the North Carolina Community College System. Among other criteria, the nominee must also demonstrate efficient use of time, money, technology and/or other resources for the benefit of the institution, its students and the community.

“I’m extremely honored to be named the recipient of ECC’s 2025 Staff Award,” said Ashman. “This award is a reflection of the continuous support I receive from administration and my colleagues in the Continuing Education Department. Congratulations to all the nominees, who are all very deserving and great people to work with.”

Ashman is a member of the ECC Foundation board and has played a key role in leading the Steps4Growth initiative, as well as developing continuing education classes and summer camps.

“As part of her work (Steps4Growth), she has been instrumental in establishing pre-apprenticeship opportunities with a local industry partner, Astemo,” reads Ashman’s nomination form. “These opportunities provide a valuable pathway for participants, many of whom are offered full-time employment upon completion, resulting in positive outcomes for both students and the college’s business and industry partners.”

The ECC Foundation also presented the Eagle Pride Department of Excellence Award to the Division of Health Sciences during the kickoff event. Only in its third year, the award is given annually to a department or team that demonstrates a high degree of excellence in teamwork and collaboration with other groups or departments.

ECC Division of Health Sciences

“Receiving the department award at our fall semester kickoff is truly a special moment,” stated Nacole Everette, dean of the Division of Health Sciences. “It highlights the dedication, teamwork and passion our faculty and staff bring to the college every day. This recognition not only celebrates what we’ve accomplished together, but also strengthens our commitment to empowering students, advancing health education, and making a meaningful impact in the community we serve.”

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Lorrie Coltraine

Lorrie Coltraine became slightly emotional after her name was called during 91ӣ����Ƶ’s fall semester kickoff. The English and humanities instructor was presented with the Astemo Endowed Faculty Chair Award, rewarding excellence in teaching.

Coltraine’s emotions prevented her from speaking much during the Aug. 11th event, but afterwards, the 10-year ECC employee stated, “I am honored to be amongst faculty that have received this award. I thank everyone that has helped me during my 10 years at ECC. This college consists of some of the best people I have been blessed to be around. I look forward to the 2025-2026 school year at 91ӣ����Ƶ, and I strive to be the one that is deserving of such an honor.”

The Astemo Endowed Faculty Chair Award is the highest distinction the college can bestow on a member of its faculty. Winners receive $2,500 and a chair with an engraved brass nameplate. Coltraine was selected by a committee of ECC personnel from a pool of several nominees who submitted a performance portfolio, an essay and a philosophy of teaching.

Coltraine’s philosophy of teaching read, in part, “my personal objective in my courses is to implore students to use their voice. We all have something of value to say, but many do not feel that they are included in that statement. I want my students to genuinely feel and own their social importance, and they are required to use that voice in the classroom and in writing.

In addition to working as an instructor for ECC, Coltraine has served as a founding member of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), a co-host with Lynn Huff of a professional reading series at CTLE, as well as a member of the Distance Education Committee and the Faculty Leave Committee.

Coltraine received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in English, both from East Carolina University.

Coltraine is the eighteenth Astemo Endowed Faculty Chair Award winner at ECC.

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SmartAsset, the online site for financial information and advice, evaluated 585 two-year schools offering associate’s degrees with at least 500 full-time students. Ranking criteria aimed to capture a variety of important components for students, including tuition and fees, student-to-faculty ratio and retention rates of full-time students.

Smartasset.com highlights that in-state tuition and fees for two semesters at ECC is only $2,640. The college’s student retention rate of 84 percent is the highest mark among all of the NC colleges, and ranks in the top 1 percent for all colleges in the study. ECC’s low student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1 also contributed to its lofty ranking.

For more information on Smart Asset’s Best Community Colleges-2025 study, visit https://smartasset.com/data-studies/best-community-colleges-2025

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The schools were ranked using a star system, with five being the highest. ECC was one of seven schools in the state to receive a five-star score.

ECC’s short-term workforce and customized training programs are a reason for this ranking. There are a variety of programs enabling students to get their credentials in a year or less, such as forklift training, the notary public education course, welding and real estate pre-licensing, construction, collision repair, natural hair care, nail technology and more. In many cases, students have begun taking more than one course, or stacking credentials, to make them more attractive to potential employers.

For more information on the ranking in USA Today, visit . For more information on ECC’s short-term training programs, visit edgecombe.edu/training.

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“We are honored that WalletHub and many other publications recognize our college,” said ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod. “These recognitions are a positive reflection of the excellence, hard work and dedication demonstrated by our employees, students, trustees, foundation board members, community partners, donors and friends. While we are thankful to be recognized, we continuously strive to be all we can be in order to maximize the positive impact we can have on the communities and students we serve.”

Fifty-one of the 58 public community colleges in the state were included in the ranking. The list was based on data collected as of July 15, 2025 from the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Campaign for Free College Tuition and Council for Community & Economic Research.

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(l-r) ECC’sSkillsUSA national winners are Payden Kiser, Alfredo Hernandez Garcia, Ewan Poyner, Daniel Espinoza Hernandez and Carlos Rojas Gabriel. McRae Kiser finished eighth place in a post-secondary competition.

91ӣ����Ƶ’s SkillsUSA competitors won a gold medal and two silver medals after participating in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held June 23-27 in Atlanta, Ga. In its 60th year, the conference is a showcase of career and technical education students.

Payden Kiser, a graduate of Edgecombe Early College High School, won a gold medal in the Principles of Engineering-Technology-Post Secondary competition with his project presentation, “Key Scientific Principles Related to the Flight of High-Altitude Balloons.”

Alfredo Hernandez Garcia, also from Edgecombe Early College High School, won a silver medal in the Principles of Engineering – Technology – High School competition with his project presentation, “Circuits and Ohm’s Law.”

Carlos Rojas Gabriel and Daniel Espinoza Hernandez, also from Edgecombe Early College High School, as well as Ewan Poyner from North East Carolina Prep, brought home a silver medal for their project presentation, “Burn Baby Burn! Cutdown Mechanism for High Altitude Ballooning.” The three were members of the Career Pathways Showcase-Industrial and Engineering Technology-Post Secondary team. The showcase event was sponsored by Aerotek, and the three winners also received a $750 prize each from the company.

Advisors for all three competitions were Rebecca Stamilio Ehret, Johnica Ellis Kiser and Trey Cherry.

In addition to the medalists, McRae Kiser finished eighth place in the Job Skill Demonstration A – Post- Secondary competition with his project presentation, “How to Ear Tag Swine.” This is the first time ECC has competed in this event. McRae’s advisor was Johnica Ellis Kiser.

All of this year’s national medalists were members of critECCly stable, ECC’s high altitude ballooning team. They triumphed despite steep competition.

The conference featured more than 6,600 state contest winners who competed in 110 different hands-on trade, technical and leadership contests. In North Carolina, 303 career and technical education students from 71 schools participated. All contests are run with the aid and support of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.

“The SkillsUSA competitions are the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by our competitors and advisors,” said Trey Cherry, SkillsUSA coordinator and advisor. “Watching these students showcase their knowledge and skills, and seeing their hard work come to fruition, is a highlight of the academic year. We are extremely proud of all of our competitors and their advisors, and the recognition that they bring to our institution and their individual programs.”

The national competition was the culmination of a contest that started with a state competition held in April in Greensboro, NC. At the state level, 55 students from ECC competed. The ECC SkillsUSA team took home 16 awards across a number of trade, technical and skilled service areas.

In May, a reception was held for ECC’s state winners, their families and faculty advisors. The following students from the ECC SkillsUSA team received bronze, gold or silver awards in the state competition.

Seven SkillsUSA teams placed first, winning GOLD MEDALS

• Barbering (Postsecondary): Jamar Freeman, Advisor-Rufus McKoy
• Career Pathways Showcase – Industrial and Engineering Technology (Postsecondary): Carlos Rojas Gabriel, Daniel Espinoza-Hernandez and Ewan Poyner, Advisors-Trey Cherry, Johnica Ellis Kiser and Rebecca Stamilio Ehret
• Job Skill Demonstration A (Postsecondary): McRae Kiser, Advisor-Johnica Ellis Kiser
• Principles of Engineering (Secondary): Alfredo Garcia, Advisors-Trey Cherry, Johnica Ellis Kiser and Rebecca Stamilio Ehret
• Principles of Engineering (Postsecondary): Payden Kiser, Advisors-Trey Cherry, Johnica Ellis Kiser and Rebecca Stamilio Ehret
• Skill Project Showcase – Engineering (Secondary): Turner Cooke, Khalid Hughes, Nickoli Khalaf, Alijah Lassiter, Marco Moreno, Justin Salazar and D’Andre Thompson, Advisor- Rebecca Stamilio Ehret
• Skill Project Showcase – Metalworking (Postsecondary): Aiden Andrews, Wilson Barnett, Grant Davis, Jacob Elkins, Nikolai Fecho and Mike Morris, Advisor-Raphael CiConta

One SkillsUSA team placed second, winning a SILVER MEDAL

• Skill Project Showcase –  Metalworking (Postsecondary): Jose Flores Lopez and Michael Taylor, Advisor- Raphael CiConta

Five SkillsUSA teams placed third, bring home BRONZE MEDALS

• Automotive Tool ID (Postsecondary): Dennis Welch, Advisor-Stephen Dupree
• Skill Project Showcase – Carpentry (Secondary): Kaliya Anderson, Jaqu’Avion Epps, William Frazier III, Tykise Harris, Jeremiah Humphrey, Javani Jones, Brandon King, Zaire McCotter and Justin Salazar, Advisor-Kevin Strickland
• Skill Project Showcase – Cosmetology (Postsecondary): Savannah Harris, Phashon Little and Kenisha Shields, Advisor-Tangie Tyler
• Skill Project Showcase – Metalworking (Postsecondary): Dustin Ream and Zach Smith, Advisor-Raphael CiConta
• Welding Sculpture (Secondary): William Moore, Jr., Advisor-Josh Briggs

Two individuals captured 4th place, including Reginald McLean for Barbering and Michael Moss for Skills Project Showcase: Metalworking. Kenisha Shields also won 5th place for Cosmetology Beginner Skills. Advisors were Josh Briggs, Rufus McKoy and Tangie Tyler.

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• Battleboro: Raven Boney, Yurisbet Diaz
• Bethel: My’kyia Taylor
• Elm City: Amanda Durham
• Enfield: Sara Bishop
• Greenville: Amanda Adams, Michelle Brown, Tara Davis, Dylan Matthew, Brooke Williamson
• Hickory: Kimberly Lecompte
• Kinston: Kaitlyn Lewis
• Lucama: Jeremy Snyder
• Macclesfield: Cheyenne Mitchell
• Nashville: Marlee Holloman-Proctor
• Pinetops: Taylor Batts, Anna Brake, Alfredo Garcia, Joseph Hernandez
• Rocky Mount: Breanna Barbee, Amanda Bell, Emma Camp, Morgan Pridgen, Samaia Robinson
• Roper: Ashley Culbertson
• Scotland Neck: Taylor Everette, Kenisha Shields
• Selma: Sarah Batten
• Tarboro: Troy Babb, Isaac Calhoun, Grant Davis, Ailyn Jimenez Sanchez, Makense Lake, Shameeka Lynch, Kenneth Maywald, Kenneth Morris, Mikella Pittman, Je’shayron Williams
• Wilson: Sierra Leaston

91ӣ����Ƶ is also proud to announce its Dean’s List for Spring 2025. The following full-time students earned a grade point average of 3.500 to 3.999, placing them on the Dean’s List.

• Bailey: Anna Blair
• Bethel: Serena Hughes
• Farmville: Zakya Parker
• Fuquay Varina: Courtney Godwin
• Garner: Devin Penny
• Goldsboro: Kristen Myers
• Greenville: Donnie Carr, Kaitlyn Watkins
• Hobgood: Richard Neumeyer
• Hookerton: Mattalyn Rouse
• Macclesfield: Stephanie Webb
• Nashville: Meredith Cary
• Pinetops: Ernestine Davis
• Princeville: Ky’anna Horton, Diane Parker
• Roanoke Rapids: Shannon Fugitt, Karlee Hammack
• Robersonville: Samantha Creech
• Rocky Mount: Jonah Dilday, Pamla Farmer, Ornisha Glass, Corbin House, Reginald McLean, Lauren Nichols, Brandi O’Conney, Ashley Page, Makenzie Page, Dori Sullivan, Logan Wainwright, Laderrick Whitaker, Bailee Whitford
• Scotland Neck: Jonathan Edwards
• Selma: Gracie Davis
• Spring Hope: Nakia Ennis
• Tarboro: Wilson Barnett, Sumer Draughn, Tracy Everette, Nathan Hill, Sharonette Hill, Nicolas Richardson, Rakiyah Smith
• Walstonburg: Abigail Jordan
• Whitakers: Karina Gonzalez-Oviedo
• Wilson: Brittany Cox, Jackson Watkins

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