Quadruplets, Twins From Same Family Find ‘Positive Experience’ At VGCC

The Garners of Wake Forest are a Vance-Granville Community College family.

First, Nathaniel was a student at VGCC, then twins Jonathan and Benjamin. Now, their quadruplet siblings – Michael, Rebecca, Rachel and Stephen – are attending classes at the college’s main campus in Vance County.

And there are four more at home who will probably begin their post-high school studies at Vance-Granville – Joseph, 13, Isaac, 10, Miriam, 8, and Samuel, 6.

The Garner-VGCC connection began with Nathaniel, 21, the eldest. He, like all his siblings, was home-schooled by his mother, Cheryl Garner. She recalls that Nathaniel completed his high school requirements early and didn’t know where he wanted to go to college.

“I took Nathaniel to Vance-Granville, the closest community college to us, and Beth Brockhaus (a VGCC counselor) was incredibly helpful,” Cheryl Garner said. “We found out about the dual enrollment program, and it is a wonderful option for home-schooled kids.”

Dual enrollment is a program in which students may take college courses while still enrolled in high school, and they receive both high school and college credit. The majority of students taking advantage of this program are ones being home-schooled, Brockhaus said. “This just makes sense because not many homes are going to have chemistry labs, and not too many parents can teach foreign languages,” she said.

During the 2000-2001 school year, there were 29 dual enrollment students at Vance-Granville.

Nathaniel Garner enrolled in Vance-Granville to get some college credits while he decided where he wanted to continue his education. He says he liked the school and the instructors so much he completed the College Transfer program, earning an Associate in Arts degree last May. He is now enrolled in accounting at N.C. State University, where he made the Dean’s List in Fall Semester 2001.

Twins Jonathan and Benjamin, who will be 20 in June, followed Nathaniel to VGCC to take college courses one year before enrolling in UNC-Chapel Hill. Jonathan is in the Journalism School at UNC, and Benjamin was accepted in the Fellows Program there, where he is majoring in English and history. Benjamin hopes to go to law school and become an attorney like his father, Daniel, who is a legal counsel for the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks.

“The college transfer classes were really good for the older boys,” said Cheryl Garner. “Jonathan entered Carolina as a junior.”

Last fall, the quadruplets, who turned 18 in April, followed their older brothers’ path and enrolled in Vance-Granville as dual enrollment students. “Dual enrollment has been great for my children,” Cheryl Garner said. “In addition to getting classes I’m not able to teach, it gives them real life experiences with people of all ages and backgrounds.”

 Michael Garner said, “Being at Vance-Granville is an awesome experience. I believe it makes us better rounded as we get to hang out with older people of all backgrounds.”

The oldest of the quads by a few minutes, Michael plans to enter N.C. State or Carolina as a freshman. Stephen and Rebecca both plan to complete their Associate in Arts studies, and Rachel plans to earn an Associate in Science degree before transferring to State or Carolina.

You have to be disciplined in your use of time when studying both high school classes at home and college courses at VGCC, the quadruplets agree.

Sometimes it is hard to juggle the different classes, but the Garners have found you can make it work.

The quadruplets agree the instruction they are received at Vance-Granville is first-rate. “The instructors are so great,” said Rebecca. Daniel said the instructors are student-oriented and are willing to help students. Stephen said, “The instructors know when you’re trying, and they don’t mind helping if you ask.”

“The computer labs and the library at Vance-Granville are great, too,” Michael said.

The low cost of a community college education appeals to the Garner family, too. Cheryl Garner said with such a large family, the parents cannot afford to pay for them to go to college. But they have been able to get grants and scholarships to help pay their way. The older kids also work part-time jobs but not during the school year.

Maria Bailey, VGCC’s dean of Student Services, said the Garners are a delightful family, and Vance-Granville looks forward to welcoming the younger four children when they are ready for dual enrollment.

College officials agree with Cheryl Garner who says the Garner family’s association with Vance-Granville Community College is a “very positive experience.”

In the photo above, the Garner quadruplets of Wake Forest – Rebecca, Michael and Stephen, seated, from left, and Rachel, standing – enjoy a break between classes in the courtyard at Vance-Granville Community College. They are completing high school and acquiring college credits through the dual enrollment program at VGCC.