CFCC GED program graduate inspired by mentor, uses struggles as inspiration to push forward with her education

By: Andrea Blanton, CFCC Foundation Intern

Jasmine Miller was born in a small town called Pekin, which lies near the Indiana and Kentucky borders. As a child, Miller was not exposed to the everyday luxuries that most children experienced. Instead, she was raised in a physically, sexually, and emotionally abusive home with no real hope of making something of herself. Her mother suffered from alcoholism and did not provide her with the support and love that she needed. “People in my home town never leave. They start some menial job and work their way up to a management position. No one typically graduates from high school; instead, they start families and have kids, and dream about moving to the beach.” Jasmine, however, did not want that lifestyle and decided to make a change.  After turning 19, she chose to take a job as a traveling sales woman with her boyfriend at the time, and eventually ended up in Myrtle Beach, SC.

After a few months, she was certain that Myrtle Beach was not for her and migrated up to Carolina Beach, NC. Once settled, she found more stable employment and decided to settle for the lifestyle that was expected of her back home. She married her boyfriend and they welcomed the news of a precious baby girl. However, when Jasmine was three months pregnant, she received a phone call with news that her mother had been killed. This horrible event sparked something inside Jasmine and opened her eyes to what is really important in life. After this moment, she knew what she needed to do and discovered that Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) was her answer. A few years earlier, Miller had received her GED at CFCC, so she was already familiar with the campus and what the college had to offer. Following the end of what resulted in an unhealthy marriage, she began to pursue her education and enrolled at CFCC.

Jay Jones, a resident of Carolina Beach and also Director of Deloitte Federal, an audit, financial advisory, tax and consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. metro area, became an acquaintance to Miller while she was working at a local restaurant. He understood the challenges Jasmine has faced and and decided to help guide her towards success. He evolved into a mentor who pushes her forward and encourages her to accomplish her goals. Jones helped Miller apply to CFCC for an associate’s degree in occupational therapy and seek out financial help. “I’ve never had my own personal cheerleader, but Jay helps keep me going,” said Miller.

Miller originally chose occupational therapy because her step mother is suffering from multiple sclerosis and several other debilitating diseases. “Even though she has all these things going on with her, even though she has this incredible pain, she is the pillar of strength for everybody,” said Miller. Jasmine wanted to help others suffering from debilitating diseases, and use her step mother as an inspiration. However, she realized her credits would not transfer to UNCW and decided that she would pursue psychology instead.

“Psychology was the one class I was excited to go to everyday, and I started to realize that this is me… this is what I’m meant to do.” With all of the challenging psychology professors at CFCC, Miller became even more passionate about her future goals and accomplishing them. CFCC has also assisted Jasmine financially, through Pell grants, scholarships, and childcare reimbursement funds.  Miller also received a $50 gift card from the CFCC Foundation’s Holiday Helpers program so that she could make her daughter’s holidays special.

Miller has also excelled academically at CFCC, becoming a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa, the National Community College honor society, earning a spot on the Dean’s List her first two semesters, and on the President’s List last semester. These accomplishments have made her “stronger as a person, student, and mom,”she says. “It is amazing what CFCC has done for me. Every semester I get stronger and I have more faith in myself. There is nothing like the feeling of ‘I believe in me’ and I’ve never had that before”.

“This is the first goal that I have genuinely been so passionate about… coming back at almost 30 has been great, and I believe that good things happen when your heart is in the right place,” said Miller. Jasmine will graduate from CFCC in the summer and plans to transfer to UNCW to continue her education as a psychology major in the fall semester. In the next few years, UNCW will begin to offer a clinical Ph.D. program, in which Miller hopes to be accepted.

Jasmine wants to take all of her hardships and turn them into something positive. After completing the clinical program, she hopes to open her own community outreach program in an area where children do not have the resources they need to keep pushing forward. Through her personal understanding of abusive situations, she wants to generate an atmosphere where children can come for guidance and relief, a place to study, or just be in a quiet surrounding, but still have an encouraging place to explore positive outlets to express what they are feeling. “When you live most of your live thinking you’re destined to do nothing, but then find yourself realizing how strong and smart you might be, it’s magical,” said Jasmine. “In the future I hope the tables will be turned and I can help someone else out, hopefully someone just like me.”

Jasmine compares her life to a zipper and explains it as, “when it’s all undone all you have are these jagged sharp little teeth everywhere and none of it seems to make sense. But then eventually it all interlocks perfectly and everything just moves right in to place, even if it seems like chaos it will move into place.” CFCC has created the first interlocking segment on Jasmine Miller’s zipper of life and will be remembered as the place that gave her hope and strength to continue on with her mission of making a difference.

Wilmington, N.C. – Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) has been awarded a grant from The Cape Fear Garden Club in the amount of $2,843.00 for a project that will create a rainwater harvesting system for the greenhouse and enhance the beautification of CFCC’s North Campus entrance. This project was created to provide a mineral-free source of greenhouse water, reduce the demand on water supply, and reduce runoff erosion. 

Additionally, a variety of plant material will be placed in raised beds around the tower monument sign at the entrance to the North Campus. With the addition of six different plants and flowers, including Encore Azaleas, the tower monument will be a standing reminder of the Cape Fear Gardening Club’s goal of encouraging environmental improvement through civic development, beautification, restoration, and aiding in the protection and conservation of our native trees, plants and birds. CFCC’s North Campus, located in Castle Hayne, is home to half of the college’s 60 technical and vocational offerings. 

When the rainwater harvesting system is complete, it will capture, divert, and store rainwater for later use. The harvesting system will also supply the irrigation system for the CFCC’s greenhouse, which is currently utilizing well water. CFCC Landscape Gardening students will be responsible for maintaining the system and will gain hands-on experience and a skill set that will help them in their future careers. 

The Cape Fear Garden Club is the oldest and largest garden club in North Carolina and among the largest garden clubs in the nation. The organization is best known for creating the annual Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour, which features the finest and most exquisite gardens in the Wilmington area. Each year, The Cape Fear Garden Club awards thousands of dollars in grants for beautification, conservation, and educational projects.

CFCC is the 5^th largest Community College in the North Carolina Community College system, and currently serves more than 30,000 students.  The Landscape Gardening program at CFCC emphasizes practical, hands-on training in the field of horticulture to confidently prepare students for employment opportunities after graduation. In the program, students will take courses such as, plant identification, diseases and pests of plants, and landscape planning, maintenance, and construction.

For more information about the College, Foundation, endowments, or scholarship opportunities, please contact the CFCC Foundation at (910) 362-7331.

Ray, the CFCC Sea Devil, will make another appearance at this year's CFCC Homecoming Celebration on February 10th!

Written by Josh Bowman, CFCC Foundation Intern

Wilmington, NC- The Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) Alumni Association is pleased to announce its fourth annual alumni homecoming celebration. On Friday, February 10, CFCC alumni are invited to bring friends and family to a night of fierce competition, free food and fun with fellow Sea Devils.

The night begins with a special reception for alumni and guest from 5:30 – 7 pm in the CFCC Schwartz Center lobby before a heated game against USC Sumter. This family-friendly night will feature a free appetizer buffet, photos with CFCC’s mascot Ray the Sea Devil, a fun half-time shootout contest and an opportunity to participate in a raffle for great prizes. All raffle proceeds will be used to support the CFCC Alumni Legacy Scholarship.

Tip-off for the men’s basketball game is at 7 pm.

RSVPs are required; please call 910-362-7029 to confirm attendance. Admission to the reception and game are free for CFCC alumni with a membership card; up to three guests per alumni member. Not a member yet? Not a problem. Join for free at the event! The Schwartz Center is located at the corner of Front and Hanover Streets on CFCC’s downtown campus.

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In celebration of Cape Fear Community College’s 50^th anniversary in 2008, CFCC established the CFCC Alumni Association. The mission of the CFCC Alumni association is to form partnerships and strengthen relationships between the community, the College and its alumni. Alumni initiatives are based on the association’s core values of giving back to through involvement, fellowship and service. The association strives to be a positive, goal-oriented steward for CFCC, its mission and goals.

(L-R) Alliance CU North Carolina Business Development Officer Rachel Robinson, Cape Fear Community College Foundation’s Kay Warren, scholarship recipient Karmen Palmer, and Alliance CU North Carolina Operations Manager Ruth Barefoot

Hampstead Resident Karmen Palmer Earns $1,000 Scholarship

Left to right: CFCC Foundation Executive Director Margaret Robison (left) and CFCC Student Ambassador David Wilson (right) accept a scholarship check form Rotarians Ann Willard, Bob Martenis, Jim Morton, Darcie Keefe and president David Sweyer.

By Conway Dryden, CFCC Foundation intern

The Cape Fear Rotary Club has established a $30,000 endowed scholarship fund that will provide financial support to Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) students. The scholarship will benefit students with financial need who have attended New Hanover County high schools. Scholarship applicants must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average, and the recipient will be selected by the Cape Fear Rotary Club scholarship committee in consultation with the CFCC Foundation office.

The CFCC Foundation is proud to partner with the Wilmington Cape Fear Rotary Club who have generously supported CFCC students since 1997. The rotary club has previously donated over $65,000 in annual scholarships at CFCC, and has given over $600,000 in the past 23 years to worthy causes in the Wilmington area.

“Cape Fear Rotary has been a long-term supporter of Cape Fear Community College. Four of our members are past presidents of the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees. We have financed two scholarships for many years, “says David Sweyer, current club president, “and three years ago our board agreed to an endowment of $30,000 which we recently completed payment. The endowment is to provide scholarships for needy students, hopefully forever.”

Wilmington Cape Fear Rotary Club provides a way for local business leaders to give back to their community through fundraising and community service. Rotary is the world’s first service organization, dating back to 1905. The organizations motto is, “Service Above Self.”  There are currently over 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide.

The CFCC Foundation supports the people, programs and mission of the college by securing and managing gifts that include cash contributions used for endowments and scholarships and other contributions aimed at helping the college meet its goals. For more information regarding Cape Fear Community College scholarships, please contact Kay Warren at 910.362.7331 or visit www.cfcc.edu/foundation.

By Micaela Fouhy, CFCC Foundation Intern

Julia Nepper graduated from Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) in 2008 at the age of fourteen, making her the youngest graduate from CFCC.

Her first course at CFCC was a piano class in spring 2006. “It was the only class I took,” says Nepper. “I was slightly nervous, but I had already been trying piano without instruction for three years at this point so I was mostly excited to be taking the class.”

Since Julia was eleven when she began attending CFCC, her father chaperoned her to every class. “I began to feel self-conscious about always having my father around when I reached the teenage years,” states Nepper. “But, it was never a big deal to me.” Although Julia was home-schooled for most of her early education, she did spend one semester in middle school and another in high school. One thing Julia says she learned at CFCC was how to socialize effectively with college-aged people since she had been interacting primarily with students her own age for most of her life. It certainly helped her when she went to the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), considering she was no longer required to be accompanied by a parent there and had to adapt by herself.

“I always tell anyone considering college to start their education at a community college,” advises Julia. “Professors teaching a sophomore level course at a university often have two or three hundred students; at a community college they have less than a hundred. Teachers will know your name and care about your success.”

Nepper graduated with honors in 2011 from UNCW with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in Spanish.

Nepper decided to study biology simply because she liked animals. However, during senior year she realized that while she liked animals, she did not want to be a biologist. “I enjoyed chemistry much more,” explains Nepper. “I knew this because I had to take several chemistry classes to fulfill the requirements to get a biology degree.”

Over that summer, Julia began working with Dr. Antje Almeida in her lab. Dr. Almeida is a professor in the chemistry department at UNCW and most of her research is in biophysics relating to nature. “That was how I became interested in biophysics–by accident,” states Julia. “I didn’t even know the field existed before that year.”

Currently, at seventeen years old Julia is participating in the one year Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC). She works in a research lab on campus full-time and is also taking a graduate class, Advanced Biochemistry of Human Disease.

Julia finds biophysics appealing because “the questions that are asked are relevant to human health, but the answers that you get are much more quantitative than those you get in other fields, so it is easier to draw definite conclusions from the data.”

Julia is applying to graduate programs in biophysics and if accepted she will most likely go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue her Ph.D. After that she intends to travel. “I plan to visit as many countries I can afford, on every continent except Antarctica.”

After finishing her Ph.D. program, Nepper hopes to become a professor of chemistry at a smaller university, similar to UNCW, and running her own lab. “What I liked about UNCW was that there was a research presence, but it wasn’t the main focus as it is at UNC,” states Julia.

Julia says her favorite quote is “learn the rules so you know how to break them properly” by the Dalai Lama XIV. Julia has found that most rules are “superfluous for sensible people,” therefore she tries to break them without getting caught. “It adds a bit of excitement,” she says. Although Julia didn’t break any rules while being the youngest graduate from Cape Fear Community College, it should definitely be considered a high achievement.

Desiree and Tom Florio make a great team—not only in life, but as study partners too. These recent graduates from CFCC’s Fast Track Business Administration program figured they “might as well attend classes at the same time and support one another,” said Tom, who serves as the manager for W. W. Grainger’s onsite branch at General Electric. Desiree, a business office supervisor for Atlantic Surgery Center, added, “the instructors were great, classes were a good size, and online courses worked with our schedules.” 

The Florios will now continue to support one another as classmates through an online bachelor’s program in business through UNC-Pembroke. View a video of the Florios, along with many other great student stories on CFCC’s You Tube channel. Just click the You Tube link located at the bottom of CFCC’s website, www.cfcc.edu.

by Conway Dryden, CFCC Foundation Intern

Growing up in a house full of military heroes, Carolyn Justice was taught the importance of honor, country and service at a young age. 

Justice, a current House Representative for the 16^th district of NC, didn’t start out her life knowing she wanted to be in politics. Born in Wilmington in 1946, Justice and her parents lived with her grandparents who ran a boarding house at 913 Market Street. Her grandmother opened the business in the early 1940’s and after the passing of Justice’s grandfather, she moved her family of seven into the boarding house. During WWII, all of her uncles went off to war and her mother and aunts helped cook, clean and run the boarding house. Men who would come to Wilmington during the week to work in the shipyard would stay at the boarding house. Justice and her sister were raised in this busy environment of men who served as surrogate fathers, since they were away from their families during the week. 

“I not only grew up knowing the importance of serving your country, but after the war patriotism was strong among my family, each whom had sacrificed something during their efforts,” said Justice. 

As a young adult, Justice went straight into the workforce taking advantage of an apprenticeship bookkeeping program while living in Northern Virginia. She eventually was promoted to a Full Charge Bookkeeper. In 1976 Justice and her husband moved back to North Carolina and opened a clothing store in Hampstead. Soon realizing there were few advertising opportunities for a business, Justice started a newspaper named the Sounds of Pender East. 

Driven to have more news to publish in her newspaper, Justice started attending Pender County Commissioners’ meetings where she soon developed a keen interest in politics. Her newspaper began covering the county commissioners, school board, health department and hospital, along with any other news of interest on the Pender coast. Justice later sold her newspaper and it is now called the Topsail Voice. Some 25 years after selling the newspaper, Justice began Hampstead Management Services and over the years she has managed a portfolio of 13 home owners associations, two shopping centers and a 300-unit mini storage facility.

Justice’s interest in politics soon led her to run for the office of County Commissioner in 1994. After serving nine years, Justice ran for the North Carolina House in 2002. With nine years of service in the House, next year may be her last. 

 “I believe in term limits in any one elected office. Though there is no state statue limiting the number of terms a member can service in the House or Senate, I have limited myself to ten years and next year will be my tenth year.” Justice says, “I am considering other elected options but have not yet made my mind up as to whether or not I will run or for what office.” 

Justice has attended classes at CFCC on and off for years and continues to do so. Her studies have mainly consisted of core subjects but her long-range goal is to transfer to UNCW and seek a degree in political science. Justice says she has truly enjoyed her classes at CFCC. “I think it’s different for older people than it is for college-aged students. I think it takes a different set of skills to study than it does to be in the workforce. But I do believe that in today’s world, community colleges are more geared up than ever to deal with older students coming back to school to retool for different jobs in this very difficult economy,” comments Justice. 

Justice says that owning a business, serving as an elected official and taking classes is a labor of love, but she has a very supportive family who help her accomplish this feat. “Learning to focus and compartmentalizing your work is very important. If not, you can find yourself scattered and you will never do anything well,” advises Justice. 

When asked what she would tell other students Justice said, “I would advise all students to focus on their future and where their course work is really going to take them. Find out what careers are going to remain stable in this changing economy. Diversify your curriculum and give yourself some options. When you do get out in the job market, be ready to be flexible.”

Wilmington, NC – A chilly and misty Halloween morning did not deter more than 100 golfers from teeing off at the Cape Fear Country Club for a good cause. Thirty teams sponsored by local businesses and individuals participated in the first-ever Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) Foundation Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships.

Team sponsorships ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with P&MW Holding Company as the title sponsor, BB&T and PPD as gold sponsors and over twenty-four additional silver sponsors. Thirty-six local businesses also provided hole sponsorships, and to add an element of fun Marine Max, Parkway Volvo and Stevenson Honda provided a boat and two automobiles as hole-in-one incentives. Food and beverage sponsors included Coastal Beverage, Coca-Cola, Courtyard by Marriott/Hilton Garden Inn, Lawler Catering, Pita Delite and Wellington Benefits.

“Because of the outpouring of community support, this event was not only worthwhile, but a lot of fun,” said Bill Anlyan, chair of the CFCC Foundation.”Our hope is that this will become an annual event and we can continue to provide more scholarship opportunities for students at CFCC. This is such a good investment because it will directly benefit so many residents of New Hanover and Pender counties who are working to complete their education.”

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The Cape Fear Community College Foundation exists solely to support the students, teachers, programs and mission of the College. Most of the funds raised are designated for our students in the form of scholarships to directly assist with their education. For more information about providing scholarship opportunities for CFCC students, please contact the CFCC Foundation at 910.362.7207 or give on-line at www.cfcc.edu/foundation.

The 2011 CFCC Merit Scholars (left to right): Trevor Todd, Mary Thomas, John Lewis, Leslie Ortego, Victoria Warren, Sarah Nelson, Margaret Knoerzer, Jessy Harrell, Emily Painter and Sam Hesse.

Written by Micaela Fouhy, CCFC Foundation Intern 

Wilmington, NC – Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) awarded ten merit scholarships to worthy New Hanover and Pender County high school seniors for the 2011-12 academic year. The recipients of the CFCC Merit Scholarship have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership throughout their high school career.

To be selected for a Merit Scholarship, a student must be a current high school senior within New Hanover or Pender County and must have applied or been approved to enroll in Cape Fear Community College. A student must have proof of academic potential shown by high school grades, class rank, and/or aptitude test results. Involvement in extracurricular activities, community service and work are also a consideration for a recipient. This award proves that a student can excel in a college setting as they begin to pursue their educational goals.

The recipients this year are Sam Hasse, Leslie Ortego, Emily Painter, Mary Thomas, and Trevor Todd from Topsail High School, Jessy Harrell and John Lewis who attended Laney High School, Margaret (Megan) Knoerzer from Pender High School, Sarah Nelson who graduated from Ashley High School, and Victoria Warren from New Hanover High School.

Merit Scholars benefit from extra support provided by the CFCC Foundation Board and meet several times throughout the semester to track each student’s progress. Recipient Knoerzer stated: “I was a little scared to start that first semester, but being a part of the Merit Scholars group made me feel like I was really connected and already a part of something big on campus. I am also loving my experience of playing on the volleyball team.”

Merit Scholars receive $900 each semester, which covers most of the costs for tuition, fees, and books. Each student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and complete twelve credit hours during the fall semester to stay eligible for the spring semester.

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Cape Fear Community College is one of the oldest and largest in the North Carolina community College system. Studies show that for each dollar spent educating CFCC students, more than $2.36 is returned to the local community. For more information about CFCC, the Foundation, endowments, or scholarship opportunities, please contact the CFCC Foundation at (910) 362-7207.