Three transferring VGCC Students receive Golden LEAF Scholarships
Recent Vance-Granville Community College students Allison Forsythe of Oxford, Tiffany Gill of Raleigh and Haleigh Meffert of Louisburg have all been awarded Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarships as they continue their education at the four-year level.
They are among 215 students from across the state who were selected to receive Golden LEAF scholarships to attend participating in-state colleges or universities this year. Of those recipients, 30 were community college students transferring to a four-year institution. Community college transfer students are eligible for $3,000 a year for up to three years. Golden LEAF Foundation scholarships are awarded to students from rural, economically distressed North Carolina counties and are selected based on a number of criteria, including a review of school and community service activities, goals, and expressed intent to contribute to rural communities upon graduation. According to foundation officials, VGCC was one of only three colleges in the state to have three transfer student recipients each, the most of any community college.
Forsythe (pictured above, left), a Kerr-Vance Academy graduate, finished her College Transfer courses at VGCC in May and got an early start by enrolling in summer classes at East Carolina University. In addition to the Golden LEAF scholarship, she recently received a $1,000 scholarship from Chick-fil-A of Henderson. At ECU, Forsythe is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Childhood and Family Relations, and is interested in pursuing a career in counseling.
Gill (pictured above, center) is originally from Kittrell and graduated from Southern Vance High School. She first enrolled in the VGCC Pharmacy Technology program and upon graduation, continued her education in the College Transfer program, earning Dean’s List honors. Later this month, she will start classes at William Peace University, where she intends to complete a bachelor’s in Biology.
Meffert (pictured above, right), another Kerr-Vance Academy graduate, completed the Associate in Arts degree at VGCC this summer and is transferring this month to N.C. State University, where she will major in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Science. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she plans to study speech pathology. At VGCC, Meffert made the Dean’s List, received an endowed scholarship from the college, and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
VGCC’s College Transfer program provides students with the first two years of a B.A. or B.S. degree program. Transfer courses are available on all four VGCC campuses and online . All three scholarship recipients took classes online and at VGCC’s Main Campus, while Meffert also attended classes at the Franklin County Campus. “To have three of our students selected to receive these prestigious scholarships — representing 10 percent of the state’s community college recipients — is not only a great credit to these outstanding students but also to the excellent instruction and support they have received through our College Transfer program,” said VGCC Dean of Arts and Sciences Maria Bailey.
For more information on Golden LEAF scholarships, visit CFNC.org/goldenleaf or call College Foundation of North Carolina at 866-866-CFNC .
