VGCC Honors 2 Multi-Skilled Students
Vance-Granville Community College officials honored a special type of student July 23 – those who complete more than one vocational program and who excel in them.
Tewonn Brown of Franklinton and Ben Scott of Wake Forest were recognized as Multi-Skilled Technicians for each completing two programs and for maintaining 3.0 grade-point averages.
A Charleston, S.C., native, Brown came to this area after a hitch in the Navy and went to work for the Iams Co. in its maintenance department. “I decided to use my electrical background from the Navy and entered Electrical/Electronics Technology at Vance-Granville as a part-time student in 1999,” he said. After completing that program, he enrolled in Industrial Maintenance Technology full-time and graduated from it in May this year.
Brown’s supervisor at Iams is Scott Gutshall, who is also a Vance-Granville graduate. “Scott encouraged me to return to attend the Industrial Maintenance program, and he helped work out my schedule at Iams so I could attend my classes,” Brown said.
At Iams, Brown says he uses all the skills he obtained in his Vance-Granville studies, including electrical, mechanical, welding, air conditioning and programmable logic controllers.
Brown, who will marry Michelle Smith in about two weeks, isn’t through with his Vance-Granville studies yet. He is currently enrolled in the Electronics Engineering Technology program and plans to utilize all his acquired skills in becoming a process engineer.
Ben Scott is still working where he began during summer vacations at age 13, in the maintenance department of the Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest. But at that time he was painting closets and now he’s a carpenter on the 1,000 apartments maintained by the seminary.
“I always liked working with my hands, I heard the Carpentry program at Vance-Granville Community College was excellent, and it was convenient to get to,” he said. Upon completion of that program last year, Scott said that Carpentry program head Keith Tunstall encouraged him to continue school and take the Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration program. He will graduate from that program Aug. 7.
“I had been working at the seminary a long time, but it was mostly painting,” Scott said. “Everything I know about carpentry, I learned at Vance-Granville.” While primarily employed as a carpenter maintaining the campus apartments, Scott does get to utilize his air conditioning and heating skills occasionally when he is on call.
Ben Scott’s goal: to eventually take over the maintenance department at Southeastern. He was married to his wife, Holly, on May 3.
Herbert Washington, VGCC vocational recruiter and counselor, praised Brown and Scott for their accomplishment. “Hundreds of students have tried to achieve this since the Multi-Skilled Technicians program was established, but less that 40 have stuck it out, maintained the grades and other criteria,” he said.
James Wheeler, chairman for Public Service and Vocational Education, added his praise and said having more than one skill will make Brown and Scott more employable.
Anyone interested in the Multi-Skilled Technician program can contact Herbert Washington at (252) 738-3228).
James H. Wheeler Jr., front, center, chairman for Public Service and Vocational Education at Vance-Granville Community College, presents Multi-Skilled Technician certificates to Tewonn Brown, left, of Franklinton, and to Ben Scott, right, of Wake Forest. On the back row are Keith Tunstall, left, Carpentry program head, and Herbert Washington, vocational recruiter and counselor.
