NCC Alum Awarded Dallas Herring Achievement Award

Rebecca Rose Ceglia, a graduate of Nash Community College, is the 2019 recipient of the Dr. Dallas Herring Achievement Award. She was selected from student and graduate nominees from across North Carolina’s 58 community colleges. The North Carolina Community College System recognition coincided with North Carolina Community College Excellence in Education Month, as proclaimed by Gov. Roy Cooper, for the month of April.

The Dr. Dallas Herring Achievement Award was established in 2010 by the NC Association of Community College Presidents to honor the late Dr. Dallas Herring, who is considered one of the founding fathers of community colleges in North Carolina. The award is presented annually to a current or former student who best embodies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.”

Rebecca Ceglia was an outstanding and dedicated Nash Community College student with a passion for learning. She graduated in May 2018 with an Associate in Arts Degree, and a 4.0 grade point average. She is enrolled at Meredith College where she continues to maintain a 4.0 grade point average. Rebecca works with children in the Meredith Autism Program while balancing the daily challenges that come with her academic workload, with humor and grace. She describes her work with children with autism as her favorite part of her day.

“Ms. Ceglia topped 200 of her student peers by earning the highest grade point average in General Psychology at NCC, and continued her exemplary performance the next semester in Abnormal Psychology by scoring 100 percent on every exam,” NCC Psychology Instructor Dr. Elizabeth Hood said. “This accomplishment only scratches the surface of her ability and character.”

Ceglia found the nurturing campus environment, smaller class sizes, and individualized attention offered at Nash Community College to be helpful as she established relationships, friendships, and participated in activities that she had never before experienced. Her instructors fostered in her a love for behavioral science. With each subsequent course, her desire to pursue an education and a career in clinical counseling has grown.

“Ms. Ceglia rarely talks of her life’s challenges because she has persevered in her desire to continue towards her educational and career goals. She is most deserving of the 2019 Dr. Dallas Herring Achievement Award. She truly represents Dr. Herring’s philosophy,” Hood said.

Rebecca Ceglia was Nash Community College’s 2018 Excellence in Social Sciences Award recipient. As the Dr. Dallas Herring Achievement Award recipient, she received a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship from the NC Community Colleges Foundation.