VGCC Students Recognized for Academic Achievements

Vance-Granville Community College has named two students, Laurie A. Hernandez and Sherry K. Stokes, both of Henderson, as its recipients of the North Carolina Community College System ’s Academic Excellence Awards for 2009. Each year, two students from each of the 58 community colleges in the state system receive such an honor.

Both Hernandez (pictured above, left) and Stokes (pictured above, right) are scheduled to graduate from VGCC on May 15. Stokes will graduate with degrees in Accounting and Business Administration , while Hernandez is completing a Teacher Associate degree. Both are members of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Hernandez has also served as president of the Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE) chapter and represented SNCAE in the VGCC Student Government Association.

A mother of five, Hernandez had been out of school for fifteen years when she enrolled at VGCC in 2007. “I am trying to show my children that if I can take care of them, my husband, work, and be an ‘A’ student in college, they can do it too!” Hernandez said.

Stokes said that flexible class schedules have allowed her to work full-time as a bookkeeper while simultaneously earning two degrees as a part-time student. “I have gained the knowledge necessary not only to complete my degrees, but to excel in my career,” Stokes said. “Without the availability of classes from Vance-Granville and the caring, competent instructors, none of this would have been possible.”

Each academic department at Vance-Granville nominated a student for the Academic Excellence Award, and nominees were awarded points based on factors such as their grade-point-averages, school activities, community/volunteer activities, and for working while attending school. Hernandez and Stokes earned grade-point-averages of 3.95 and 4.0, respectively.

“We are very proud of Laurie and Sherry, who have both truly demonstrated academic excellence,” VGCC President Randy Parker said. “Their success in the classroom has paved the way for future success in their careers.”