Lenoir Community College graduate Sarah Suggs of Snow Hill is excited to take her place in the classroom teaching after she finishes her four-year degree. Homeschooled part time, she attended Mount Calvary Christian Academy in Hookerton in May 2017, but she had already started her LCC education two years earlier by taking classes online during her junior and senior years of high school through the Career and College Promise Program.
“I was interested in a degree in Secondary Education, so I followed the Associate in Arts Degree program of study and graduated in the spring of 2018,” she said. “I returned in the following fall to play basketball and earned an Early Childhood Education Certificate, while also being dual-enrolled at East Carolina University.”
While at LCC, Suggs served as the Student Government Association secretary and participating in Lady Lancers Basketball. “I have great memories from both experiences,” she said.
Attending LCC opened up several opportunities for Suggs. “Through a college fair in the gymnasium, I discovered the SECU Partnership Program with ECU, which I am currently in. It allowed me to work towards the degree I wanted at a fraction of the cost while being able to work around my schedule,” she said.
“Also, the Early Childhood Education classes that I took at LCC helped greatly with my teaching classes at ECU. Plus, I believe the workload I had at LCC prepared me for the university class load I am taking now,” she said. “The time I spent as SGA Secretary helped ready me for working in my present job where meetings and leadership opportunities constantly arise, much like they did in SGA. I especially appreciate the advisors, professors, and peers that helped support and encourage me while I was at LCC. They were instrumental to me in getting to the next step in my journey of life.”
Suggs also received the Jean P. & Peggy Booth Memorial Scholarship through the LCC Foundation. “For me, the LCC Foundation provided the opportunity to be able to afford college while receiving support and encouragement to work hard and do my best. I was able to concentrate on my studies and sports without having to get a job to pay for tuition,” she said. “When I hear my friends talk about student loans and the financial uncertainty many of them face, it makes me even more grateful for the generous support I received from the LCC Foundation.”
She is currently working part-time at the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Office as a Support Specialist in Agriculture while continuing her degree in Middle Grades Education online through ECU. Upon attaining her four-year degree, she wants to teach in a local school, and work on getting a master’s degree.
“I chose LCC for many reasons,” Suggs said. “I had participated in the College and Career Promise Program in high school, so I was already familiar with the college. LCC granted me opportunities that other colleges close to home did not. The scholarship opportunities turned out to be such a blessing.
“They made me realize all the hard work that I had done in high school had not been in vain,” she said. Everywhere I turned, paths were leading to LCC and providing me with opportunities I had never expected. I am so extremely thankful for all of these.”
Suggs said her mom is her mentor. “She is always there for me, either to push me or to encourage me. Whatever I need, she does her best to make sure I have it,” she said. “She guides me (sometimes giving constructive criticism) and always sets a great example for me to follow. I really look up to her. I wish everyone had a strong family support system as I do.”
Suggs said she is grateful for the many learning experiences she gained at LCC as well as the financial support. “LCC will always be special to me. It holds many fond memories,” she said. “I am incredibly thankful for the Foundation and the opportunities it continues to provide. To have been given a valuable education close to home has been truly a blessing.
“When supporting the Foundation, please keep in mind that you’re never just helping one person. You’re helping the lives of those they touch as well. It’s like a ripple effect,” she said. “The good that I do when I become a teacher is linked back to the Foundation. Supporting the LCC Foundation in providing scholarships is an investment into the future.”
