Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt’s Future-Ready Community College Tour headed to the coast on Feb. 10 to visit Craven Community College (CCC) and its Institute of Aeronautical Technology and STEM Center.
Hunt met with students, instructors, and CCC leadership while visiting the college’s Havelock campus to explore its array of aeronautical offerings. The visit highlighted a unique educational partnership CCC has championed with The College of Engineering at North Carolina State University (NC State) to provide local students an opportunity to earn an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in engineering degree with a concentration in either Electrical Engineering Systems or Mechanical Engineering Systems.
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point sits across the road from the college’s classrooms, and its proximity has an obvious impact on the region and the students CCC serves.
Dr. Ray Staats, president of CCC, said prior to Hunt’s visit, “Through our aviation-focused programs, strong partnership with MCAS Cherry Point, and engineering collaboration with N.C. State University, the Havelock campus is creating clear, local pathways from education to employment that strengthen our region’s workforce and economy.”
This is Hunt’s 11th official tour stop, and her stated policy priorities are championing the state’s 58 community colleges, expanding career pathways, and addressing the child care crisis. Click here to see the full Future-Ready North Carolina plan.
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During her visit, Hunt toured a makerspace, classrooms, a hanger, and even jumped into a flight stimulator. She met Aviation System Technology students who came from CCC’s Early College EAST High School as well as veterans who were using their GI Bill benefits to pursue a degree. Students talked about their aspirations after school and how they landed at CCC.
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Riley Ebner, a student at Early College EAST High School, originally wanted to go into computer science, but was inspired to change her mind. When Ebner was a freshman, her mom started taking aviation courses at CCC. Ebner was so inspired by her mom’s new journey as a pilot that she decided to chart the same flight path.
She is now in her “super senior year” — or grade 13 in early college terminology — and will graduate in May with an associate degree in aviation management and career pilot technology, as well as with an associate in science. She hopes to commission to either the Air Force or Marine Corps after attending a four-year college.
Ebner said she was appreciative of the aviation opportunities she had at the early college because it was free.
In North Carolina, early colleges fall under the umbrella of Cooperative Innovative High Schools. In these schools, students can participate in the Career and College Promise program by enrolling in community college or university courses through their high schools. Students have the opportunity to earn dual credits which allows them to simultaneously satisfy their high school graduation requirements while earning college credits.
Because of the program at CCC and her participation in the Early College EAST High School, Ebner was able to explore this aviation career pathway and receive training without taking a financial hit.
Hunt ended her tour in the school’s flight simulator, successfully flying and landing the plane.
“This is the dream for rural North Carolina,” said Hunt at the end of her tour. “You’ve got the Air Force Base, Marine Base, you’ve got the community college, you’ve got NC State chipping in, you’ve got an early college for the students. This is what local, rural folks in North Carolina need.”
Hunt continued, “They need some way for their students to get the best education, the best paying jobs, and stay in their local communities. It’s a dream come true.”
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