Aundray Johnson Builds Academic Foundation at NCC
After graduating from Tarboro High School, Aundray Johnson enrolled at Nash Community College.
“As a child, I always wanted to wear a suit and carry a briefcase to an office job,” he recalls. “As a teenager and into my adult years, I worked at a grocery store lifting heavy cases,” Johnson explained. “I wanted to do something different. I chose Nash because I was looking to expand my career options and needed a path towards achieving my career goal.”
“I shopped around on the internet looking at different schools and what other students had to say about their schools. Nash Community College was at the top of my list of choices. My coworkers who are alumni recommended NCC as well.”
On NCC’s campus, Johnson was involved in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society serving as chapter president and vice president of leadership. The national honor society recognizes scholarship among two-year college students, and provides opportunities for the development of leadership and service. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher to be eligible for membership.
“Nash Community College helped me tremendously by getting me out of my comfort zone,” Johnson recalls. He was also involved in the National Society of Leadership and Success and served as a program mentor in the Men Achieving Leadership Excellence program. “These leadership roles made it easier for me to talk with people. This communication skill is something I use every day in my career.”
Aundray Johnson, right, with 2016 NCC Board Chair Sam Dickens at NCC’s 2016 Graduation
Aundray Johnson graduated with honors from Nash Community College with an Associate in Arts degree in May 2016. He transferred to East Carolina University as a junior.
“If it was not for the Academic Success and Study Skills class at Nash, I would have had a rough first semester at ECU,” he said. “That class helped me to focus on clear-cut goals followed by a plan of action.”
At ECU, Johnson was chapter president for the National Association of Black Accountants Club and an active student in the ECU College of Business Risk Management and Insurance program.
“By giving us advice on how we should conduct ourselves while attending a university, NCC instructors truly prepared me for moving on to the four-year university,” he said. “My Nash instructors would often say: these qualities are what many universities look for. That advice really helped me strive for my best.”
Johnson graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Finance with concentration in Risk Management and Insurance.
“The ECU professors who had worked in the career that I was pursuing, equipped students to prepare for, and navigate into, our career paths,” Johnson said. “My experiences at Nash Community College and at ECU prepared me to enter the workforce.”
“I demonstrated my good work ethic to my ECU professors by attending classes on time, working and studying hard. They were very impressed and they recommended me to the AAA hiring manager.” In December 2019, Johnson was hired as an Insurance Consultant specializing in personal lines insurance with AAA.
“I have made my childhood dream a reality. I get to wear a suit, yes, but, more importantly, I get to work with wonderful clients guiding them to make the best decisions on selecting insurance,” he said. “To me, helping clients is fulfilling.”
“My advice to the college students who may not know which path to take is to consider a college transfer degree,” Johnson said. “Nash Community College offers a tremendous education at a great value.”
