Student Perspective: Mary Alice Overman
Mary Alice Overman of Rocky Mount is an Associate in Arts student at Nash Community College with a 3.842 cumulative grade point average. She plans to graduate in 2021.
After completing homeschool in 2018, I took a year off of school and traveled the country as a Children’s Minister with Life Action Ministries.
Being on the road was an experience I will never forget. We moved to a different church every two weeks and were welcomed into new host homes meeting new people. One of my favorite states that we visited was Texas.
All throughout the year, one of my friends encouraged me to enroll at Nash Community College when I returned home. I knew I wasn’t completely ready for a four-year university.
The summer of 2019, I visited NCC’s campus and fell in love with it. Driving onto campus, the scenery and landscaping were beautiful and felt inviting. The staff and faculty were extremely delightful and welcoming and made sure that we knew they were here for us.
I decided to come to Nash because I thought this was the best place to further my education, to meet new people and to establish a second home.
My first semester I was shy and just went to class and left as soon as it was over. But in my second semester, I reached out and befriended some people. By the end of the semester, I was friends with most everyone in my classes.
The classes at Nash can be challenging but with the help of the Math Tank and English Studio, students are able to develop the skills they have.
The expectations are to arrive to class on time, to do the homework and turn it in on time. If anyone has trouble, all they need to do is communicate with their professor and work through it together. I learned very quickly that time management and dedication are vital to being a successful student.
At Nash, I have enhanced my writing, communication and math. My English classes have taught me how to write a paper in MLA or APA style, conduct research, and analyze literature on a deeper level. The teachers care about the students and want to see us excel.
Once I graduate from NCC, I plan on attending a four-year university with the goal of becoming a social worker with an adoption agency. I was adopted and I have always had the passion to unite children and families. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to work with children. Thinking about bringing joy to families who have gone through the process of adoption and finally the long-awaited day of meeting the new child, makes me excited about the future.
After being employed as a social worker in America, I would love to go overseas and practice social work. I have been to Africa three times and seeing the way they do social work makes me want to learn their system and any other system of doing it that is different from mine.
Ever since I first went to Africa in 2014, I have wanted to move there and help change and bring peace to the country I was in, Uganda. Although their social work systems are similar to ours in the United States, adoption is one thing that I would hope to impact there. There is hope, peace, and a bright future for the nation of Uganda and I want to be a part of that.
Ultimately, I plan to obtain my doctorate in psychology so I can teach others about my profession.
I could not be happier to be a student here. I highly recommend Nash Community College to anyone – especially those who may not know exactly what they want for their future.
Nighthawk perspective written by Mary Alice Overman
