VGCC celebrates Counseling Month

As Vance-Granville Community College celebrated Counseling Awareness Month in April, the college’s counselors organized several activities for the benefit of students.

On April 2, Sharon Hill presented an interactive session on topics such as winning handshakes, eye contact, small talk, and giving and receiving business cards. Hill is certified by the American Business Etiquette Trainers Association and a member of the National Speaker Association. Jason Dunkin, a VGCC Criminal Justice student, said that he was excited by all that he learned from Hill’s seminar on professionalism. “I’m going to use this in the future, particularly as I’m planning to go to law school,” he said.

Former professional football player Rick Alexander talked with students on April 14 on the dangers of drug use in sports. Alexander, now 55, discussed his experiences in college football and in the NFL, playing for the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants. He told students that using “performance-enhancing” steroids leads to a variety of types of physical damage to the body, and it also has psychological effects. Steroids also interfere with the normal development of adolescents. “You now have high school athletes juicing [using steroids] because it’s gotten that competitive in high school,” Alexander warned.

The events were sponsored by VGCC Counseling Services and the Men-on-a-Mission Leadership Institute. At VGCC, counselors help students deal with various types of issues, including academics, career goals, and social/personal concerns. For more information, call (252) 738-3234.

Above: Sharon Hill (right) presented a seminar on professionalism for VGCC students on April 2.