Honoring the talented, hardworking students and jobseekers who are part of the state’s workforce development pipeline

Earlier this fall, Gov. Josh Stein announced the winners of the Governor’s NCWorks Awards of Distinction for 2025. Five individual North Carolinians, including three students, received awards for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions related to workforce development, according to a press release. 

“This year’s outstanding honorees represent what makes North Carolina strong: talented, hard-working people, innovative partnerships, community-oriented businesses, and strong educational institutions,” Stein said. “These award recipients are further proof that when it comes to workforce development, no state will outwork North Carolina.”

The Governor’s NCWorks Awards of Distinction honor outstanding examples from the state’s workforce development system, including the students and jobseekers who receive training, says the release.

Outstanding Teen | Genesis Lam of Shelby

Lam participated in the NCWorks NextGen youth program of Foothills Workforce Development Board while attending Crest High School. Even while facing numerous hardships, Lam has remained committed to her education and personal growth. Named “Student of the Month” in April 2025, she has excelled academically. Lam identified funeral service as her future career path, and the NCWorks NextGen program provided her with an internship at Robert Morgan Funeral and Cremation Service in Shelby. She thrived in this work-based learning experience, demonstrating compassion, a deep interest in the field, and a desire to help others during some of life’s most difficult moments. To enable Lam to participate in the internship, school employees and her youth program career advisor helped coordinate transportation for her. Since graduating from high school, Lam has enrolled in the Funeral Service Education program at Fayetteville Technical Community College with a goal of becoming a licensed funeral director.

Outstanding Young Adult | Haylee Van Deusen of Robbinsville

Van Deusen completed her GED at Tri-County Community College and soon learned that the college offered tuition-free Nurse Aide certification as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She completed that program, which allowed her to find employment as a CNA at Graham Nursing and Rehabilitation and to find her true calling in life. Determined to continue to advance in her health care career pathway, Van Deusen began the Associate Degree Nursing program at Tri-County Community College while still working full-time. In 2024, she began participation in workforce training services through NCWorks at Macon Program for Progress, and this support helped her to graduate in 2025. Van Deusen then secured employment as a Registered Nurse with LifePoint Health at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. While her early life was marked by significant challenges, prompting her to run away from home at age 16, Van Deusen has demonstrated maturity, positivity, and resilience, serving as an inspiration to her fellow Nursing students.

Outstanding Adult | Brittany Harper of Forest City

After moving to North Carolina to make a fresh start for herself and her six children, Harper enrolled in workforce training services through NCWorks. With this support, while also working and raising her children as a single parent, Harper overcame numerous obstacles and successfully completed the Practical Nursing program at Cleveland Community College. She more recently returned to the college for additional training to become a Registered Nurse. She chose to pursue a career in the medical field in order to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives, offering compassionate care combined with her technical skills. Harper has received Dean’s List honors and the Outstanding Student Award from the CCC Nursing program, and she was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. She has also volunteered in the community as a basketball coach and as a tutor. Her future aspirations include completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Gardner-Webb University and becoming a midwife.

Here is the complete list of award winners.