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2021 Academic Excellence Recipient Selected

Victoria Pridgen is Nash Community College’s 2021 Academic Excellence Award recipient.

An instructor who taught Victoria Pridgen during her first year at Nash Community College had the pleasure to personally witness her growth as a student when Victoria returned to her classroom toward the end of her studies at NCC.

Pridgen began as a student at Nash Community College in the fall of 2018 in the Associate in Arts degree program. Each student’s academic experience is unique, but it is common for college students to learn and grow as they adjust to life in the postsecondary environment. According to her instructors, Victoria, through hard work and perseverance, has improved her academic confidence over the course of her time at NCC.

Victoria Pridgen is enrolled as an NCC transfer student while also seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation at East Carolina University. Her instructors say her academic success is closely tied to her intrinsic desire to learn. But Pridgen also credits the NCC Success Network for their contributions to her academic success saying, “I met instructors and advisors along the way who celebrated my growth and saw my graduation from NCC as a forgone conclusion.”

As with many students this academic year, Pridgen has faced the experience of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She views even this as an opportunity saying, “My biggest obstacle is learning remotely when I actually want to be in the classroom making connections and sharpening my academic skills. This setback is temporary, but like all setbacks, there is something to gain from this experience. I am solving problems, becoming more adaptive, and building relationships in a new setting.”

As the recipient of NCC’s highest academic honor, Pridgen will represent the College among North Carolina’s 58-community college system. Each student selected for the award receives a plaque and medallion in honor of their academic accomplishments.

Pridgen’s goals include completing her coursework at NCC, graduating with a degree in animation from East Carolina University, and applying for a job at DreamWorks or EpicGames.