Local Student completes VGCC Diploma before High School Graduation
When Timothy D. “Danny” Walsh of Oxford graduates from J.F. Webb High School in June, he will already have earned a college diploma. He recently completed all the requirements for a diploma in Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology from Vance-Granville Community College. While a number of local high school students take classes at VGCC, officials at the college cannot remember a student completing an entire diploma in a technical program while still in high school.
Walsh was attracted to the VGCC program because he thought it would prepare him for a good career, and had added inspiration for the vocation after he learned that his great-grandfather had been a heating and air conditioning technician. His late birthday allowed him to start taking classes at VGCC earlier than most of his classmates, under the dual-enrollment system in place at the time. “My plan all along was to finish the program before I graduated from high school, so that I could increase my chances at getting a good job after graduation,” Walsh reflected. “Why not do it when you’re already in school, all at once, if you can?” Since many of the classes were available to him tuition-free, his college diploma was quite affordable. Over a period of almost four years, Walsh was in school virtually all day, going straight from J.F. Webb to either VGCC’s Main Campus , South Campus in Creedmoor or Franklin County Campus , with some classes going until 9 or 10 p.m. “Multiple campuses gave me more opportunities to get the classes I needed, so I could complete my diploma when I wanted,” Walsh said. He also took some VGCC courses online . Meanwhile, he stayed the A/B Honor Roll at his high school. Walsh said that he knew virtually nothing about the HVAC field when he started at VGCC, but the hands-on training and helpful, accessible instructors make him feel prepared to start his career. “The best part of my experience may have been just meeting people who are already working in the field and learning from them,” Walsh said. Now, he looks forward to getting a full-time job, and someday returning to VGCC for courses in Welding or Electrical/Electronics Technology to make him a more proficient technician.
“I admire Danny because he’s put forth the effort to go to high school all day and then to come over here to take courses, and I’m very pleased that he’s made VGCC history by completing his diploma while still in high school,” said Wesley Smith, the head of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology program. The ACHR Technology program prepares graduates to assist in the start-up, preventive maintenance, service, repair and/or installation of residential and light commercial HVAC systems. For more information, contact Wesley Smith at (252) 738-3214.
Above: From left, VGCC Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology program head Wesley Smith and Danny Walsh of Oxford pose in the program’s lab on VGCC’s Main Campus. (VGCC photo)
