Isothermal Community College officials recently gave special recognition to 18 students.

The Fall 2018 Learning College Student of the Semester Awards were presented during two ceremonies in the Old Tryon Room of the Isothermal Library. The ceremonies were held at noon and 5 p.m. 

This semester’s award winners are Elia Gonzalez, Evan Metcalf, Emily Pohlman, Kendrick Rucker, Kimberly Nicole Brown, Paola Byers, Nicole Crawford, Chastity Faltraco, Grant Finch, Sheila Hansley, Annsley Harrill, Rachel Hollifield, Carsyn Kilgo, Haley Renee Laughter, Kimberly Lee, Kenly McCurry, Blythe Thorn and Brent Walker.

The awards were presented by Dolly Horton, vice president of academic and student services, and Thad Harrill, vice president of community and  workforce education and institutional advancement. President Walter Dalton welcomed the audience.

Each student was nominated by one or several of their instructors. The nomination forms included a section of comments about the qualifications of each student:

Elia Gonzalez

Con Ed – Career & College Readiness

“Elia is one of those students that every teacher loves having in class. She is eager to learn and advance, and committed to making the most of the educational opportunities available to her. She asks thoughtful questions, completes assignments on time and eagerly participates in classroom activities. Elia’s test scores reflect her dedication to learning and excelling. She is a role model and inspiration for other students.”

 Evan Metcalf

Con. Ed – Career & College Readiness

“Evan will graduate from the Adult High School program this December. He enrolled with only one credit and will have completed 21 credits in 12 short months; setting a record for fastest credit completion. He is a bright young man with a sharp sense of humor and a natural gift for working with special populations. In addition to studying full time, he works at Rutherford Life Services and is highly valued by the clients and his supervisor.”

Emily Pohlman

Con. Ed – OE

“Emily Pohlman is an all-around great student!

She is always interested in learning, always helping out and always providing support to her classmates.” 

Kendrick Rucker

Con. Ed – OE

“Kendrick demonstrated unparalleled technical and soft skills during his classroom, laboratory  and clinical experiences. He was able to quickly build rapport with his fellow students, clients, families and facility staff. Kendrick is extremely motivated and strives to do his very best with every assignment. His attention to detail, genuine caring spirit and compassion will take him far in the healthcare field. And his co-workers and clients will be better off for having known him and worked with him.”

 Kenley McCurry

Academic Development

“Kenley is a very dedicated student.  She is intent on learning what she needs to know and has consistently worked ahead on her assignments. Her work ethic and dedication to learning will enable her to accomplish any goal she sets.  It has been pleasure working with her!”

 Brent Walker

Academic Development

“Brent is an excellent online student.  He communicates as needed and is working ahead to complete his assignments.  He is diligent about following online guidelines and adhering to due dates.  Brent is always clear in what he needs for the course or from his instructor.  I appreciate his consistent online presence and his success is a result of making the course and his education a priority.  Brent has proven that online education is an effective means of learning through his diligence in working through the material, communicating with his instructor as needed, and being successful in numerous proctored assessments.” 

Blythe Thorn

Applied Sciences and Engineering

“Blythe is attending Isothermal as a full-time student, while working two jobs, one of which is the campus print show. As a single mom, Blythe does a great job of juggling school and home life giving each assignment 100 percent. She is an exceptional student who is always willing to stop her projects to help classmates with their projects. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a job in art and graphic design.” 

 Paola Byers

Arts and Sciences

“Always curious and exacting, Paola regularly works to improve her own academic skills and knowledge, going well beyond the requirements of specific assignments. During her time in my class, she would frequently stay behind in order to gain a better understanding of a particular topic, and I imagine my experience is not unusual. Her unique perspective helps make her a valuable contributor to this college, and she is certainly more than deserving of this award.”

 Nicole Crawford

Arts and Sciences

“Nicole epitomizes the elusive ‘great student,’ with her top-notch compositions and discussion board posts which are consistently thoughtful and inquisitive. She also seeks to improve with each assignment. Unfailingly, she strives for excellence in her coursework. It has been a pleasure to share the online classroom with her, and I always look forward to seeing what she will create next. She is most deserving of the Learning College Student of the Semester award.”

Carsyn Kilgo

CCP (Career & College Promise – Transfer Pathway)

“Carsyn is a joy to have in the classroom. She always has a positive attitude and supports her peers in group work and by helping them to understand difficult concepts.  Carsyn’s determination to succeed and positive attitude are apparent with her devotion to her extracurricular activities and her excellence in academics here at ICC.  These qualities will allow her to finish strong here at ICC and allow her to succeed in her future career.”

Kimberly Lee

Business Sciences

“Kimberly Lee is an engineering software specialist at ABB, where she supports three projects for sales, marketing and design engineering. She has been with ABB for 21 years, 19 of those years were as a mechanical engineering technician in design engineering. She has also worked as a technician at Kemet Electronics and NASA – Langley Research Center. While working as a mechanical engineering technician, she created multiple databases to help the productivity of engineering. When Kimberly was placed on a new project, she quickly realized she would need formal training to advance in her career, so she decided to return to her alma mater, Isothermal Community College, to pursue a degree in computer programming.  Kimberly also holds associate’s degrees in computer science, drafting and design and pre-engineering. She plans to transfer to Gardner Webb University.”

Sheila Hansley

Business Sciences

“Often times in the online classroom, it is difficult to really get to know a student’s personality and to immediately have an understanding of his or her work ethic. This was not the case with Shelia Hansley. She instantly stood out as a dedicated student who was competent, professional and compassionate. She always does more than is asked of her, and she goes the extra mile to make sure that she submits work that is better than the average student.”  

 Annsley Harrill

Business Sciences/(Career & College Promise – Career Pathway)

“This year’s CCP award recipient exemplifies the type of student for whom success is inevitable, exhibiting a strong work ethic and good attitude.  She consistently exceeds expectations in all her college courses by submitting assignments that are incredibly well-developed and thorough. Her detailed discussion input is insightful, indicating a level of understanding beyond her years. She routinely sets the standard to which other students aspire, approaching challenging subjects with a positive, professional manner. Quite simply, she is a pleasure to teach.”

 Chastity Faltraco

Health and Public Services

“Chastity is truly a top-notch professional in the early childhood education program. She has an incredibly strong work ethic and goes above and beyond in all that she does. She has volunteered numerous times to assist either myself with an event or our other instructors. She was chosen as a Peer to Peer mentor and also worked as a camp counselor with Patriot Camp last summer. She is always eager to participate and always has a just positive energy in class. We are thrilled to nominate Chastity of the Learning College Student of the Semester.”           

Kimberly Nicole Brown

Practical Nursing

“Kim’s every word and action reveal her inherent integrity. She was chosen by her peers for class president. Kim is a great team member and works well with her classmates. Her nurturing manner, commitment to quality care and dedication to justice are true examples of what a future nurse should be. There is no doubt that Kim will swiftly become a proficient and excellent nurse as well as a trusted leader in the profession.”

 Haley Renee Laughter

Associate Degree Nursing

“Haley not only maintains a high GPA in the demanding Associate Degree Nursing Program, but she is an outstanding RIBN student as well. She is highly motivated, mature, and an asset not only in class, but also clinical. Haley plans to graduate from Foothills Nursing Consortium May 2019 and then will continue her education for one additional year in order to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree with Western Carolina University. Haley is the embodiment of the qualities important to professional nursing and FNC is proud to call her one of our own as she is so deserving of the Student of the Semester Award.”

 Rachel Hollifield

REaCH (Rutherford Early College High School)

“Rachel is an exemplary student. She goes above and beyond what is required of her. She is very responsible, respectful, inquisitive, diligent and helpful to others in class. I believe that Rachel’s positive attitude about learning plays a large role in her success. I am certain that Rachel has what it takes to succeed throughout her college career, as well as throughout the rest of her life. She is a joy to have in class!”

 Grant Finch

PCEC (Polk Early College)

“Grant Finch is an extremely hardworking, intelligent and fun student. He is passionate about the work he does, and appreciates the knowledge and effort the professors bring to their classroom. He works diligently and does quality work, and is never afraid to ask a question when he has one. His strong work ethic is evident in his dedication to his education. Grant is an exemplary student, and worthy of the earning College Student of the Semester award.”

– Submitted by Mike Gavin