The Future Taking Flight for CFCC Student Diana Good
Born and raised in Wilmington, Diana Good has lived in the same house her entire life and homeschooled from the start. When her older brother began taking college classes through Cape Fear Community College, she tagged along to a few events. It didn’t take long for her to picture herself here. “As soon as I got here, I kind of fell in love with it,” she said.
“It pushed me to talk to more people and be able to walk up to somebody and strike up a conversation. I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I’ve done without that.”
A Life Filled With Music
Music has been part of Diana’s life from the beginning. She began taking piano lessons as a toddler, following in her brother’s footsteps. By the age of seven, she had added the violin. During the pandemic, she picked up her mom’s guitar and taught herself in two weeks. “Knowing the theory of piano and violin really simplified guitar for me.”
Her grandfather, a former music director for the North Carolina school system, was the other musician in the family. Even as Alzheimer’s progressed, he sang constantly, and that stayed with her.
CFCC helped her share her music more openly. “The first time I ever really sang in front of a crowd that wasn’t karaoke was in Dr. J’s English 111 class last year. It was nerve-wracking, but so much fun. I almost didn’t do it, but Dr. J told me just to get out there and see how I feel.”
Dr. John Hrebik, or Dr. J to his students, encouraged her to write songs. Soon she was composing pieces she cared deeply about, including one of her favorites, Old Friend. The song is built around letters to people she’s loved and lost contact with, friends who drifted away, and people who shaped her life.
A Calling in the Air
Outside the classroom, Diana has spent five years in the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. “My brother got me into it,” she said. “I was bored one Monday night, and he said, ‘Why don’t you come on?’ I was like, I’m a dancer, I’m going to hate this.”
She did not. She stayed. She learned. And five years later, she’s finishing her term as cadet commander of the Cape Fear Composite Squadron. “Being in that environment, I realized this is what I want to do with my life,” she said.
This year, Diana applied to the Air Force Academy, a rigorous and challenging application process that included medical clearance, a demanding fitness test, and interviews for a congressional or senatorial nomination.
Tomorrow will be kinder
Throughout it all, Diana has tried to maintain a steady perspective. “You really can’t live with regrets. I just have to learn from both good and bad experiences and move on. Let it roll off your shoulders. One of my favorite songs growing up was Tomorrow Will Be Kinder. It’s from the Hunger Games.”
This spring, Diana will graduate from high school and from Cape Fear Community College simultaneously. She feels ready for whatever comes next.
“CFCC pushed me to grow into the person I want to be,” she said. “I can’t wait to see where all this goes.”
