Lenoir Community College Implements National Adult Education Honor Society

Lenoir Community College is the first in eastern North Carolina to implement the National Adult Education Honor Society (NAEHS). NAEHS was founded in 1991 as a means of recognizing the sacrifices and efforts of adult students in Literacy programs.

The Pinning Ceremony for the NAEHS was held at LCC recently with 28 students being inducted.
LCC President Dr. Stephen Scott welcomed those in attendance. Dr. Retta Brown was the guest speaker and she encouraged the inductees to dream. She is the founder and director of The Prevention and Research/Resource Center in New Bern. This non-profit organization addresses the needs and concerns of parents and adolescents.

LCC NAEHS INDUCTEES - Pictured left to right, front row, are: Jimmett Simmons, Silvia Perez, Roxana Chapman, Tracy Cannon, Sharon Casner, Sharann Dail, and Juliet Miller; second row, Bertha Moore, Debrah Stroud, Delores Ingram, Jessica Joyner, Denice Keaton, Joyce Murray, Sharessa Dudley, Sheila Harrell, and Patricia Morris. Not pictured are: Cindy Brotherwood, Olivia Rhodes, Sanjuana Rexa, Doris Jones, Katherine Carter, Cornelia Sibert, Heather Hardy, Nancy Villafranco, Thomas Cogdell, Brenda Johnson, and Takiya Banks.

Inductee Nancy Villafranco was the student speaker. From Mexico, she has been in the United States since 1998. Determined to learn to speak English and to obtain her GED, she enrolled in LCC. She said she knew she needed to learn English for two reasons: in order to help her children in school and to obtain a career in nursing. In spite of the fact that she works fulltime and is the mother of two pre-school age children, she has continued to work toward these goals.

Her instructors said she is a role model for other students. Her maturity and insight into the American culture and her own culture serves as a bridge between the diversity in the classroom.
"It is not an easy road for an adult learner," said LCC Family Child Development Specialist Olene Solomon. "They often face insurmountable challenges trying to pursue an education while juggling day-to-day responsibilities."

Solomon said many work, have families, and are single parents. For some nominees, this is their second or third attempt at completing their educational goals. Determination, despite hardships, has directed them back to LCC and led to induction into the National Adult Education Honor Society.
Solomon said there are many success stories in the program.

Juliet Miller was inducted in the NAEHS. She is described by her peers as a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother. "Since entering the (GED) program, she has become a role model for her peers," said LCC Skills Enrichment/GED instructor Charissa J. Banks. "After completing her GED, she plans to enter the Nursing Assistant Program."

Sharesa Dudley has been enrolled in the Family Literacy Program for a year. "She has the ability to motivate her classmates to work hard and she gives more than 100 percent. She is a single mother of three and takes pride in her children's educational pursuits," said LCC Family Literacy Adult Educator Rita Dixon.

Thomas Keith Cogdell started pursuing his GED in January 2003. "He is highly motivated. He has realized his goals and is earnestly working to achieve them," said LCC GED instructor India Johnson.
Membership in NAEHS was open to all adult learners enrolled in Basic Skills Programs: Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED) Adult High School Diploma (AHS), Family Literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and Compensatory Education. Students had to meet the criteria for eligibility and be nominated by their instructor.