WCC Class of 2015: Tassels turned
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 17, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Katia Montalvo and her father, Lauriano, share an emotional embrace after the Wayne Community College curriculum graduation on Friday night. Lauriano said, "This is one of my dreams come true."
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Like her fellow graduates in Wayne Community College's Class of 2015, Lisa Mozingo was about to start a new chapter in her life.
Her pursuit of two associate degrees -- one in general education and the other in human services technology -- hadn't been easy. She faced the challenges most college students face as she tried to juggle real life with academic requirements.
And she did it all from a wheelchair.
So, Friday's graduation ceremony was a celebration -- a culmination of a battle that began when she was injured in a car accidents a couple weeks before her high school graduation.
Before her accident, Lisa had planned on going to the University of Mount Olive to become an agriculture teacher.
"The accident messed up my plans a little bit," she said. "I wanted to be a horticulture teacher and work with plants, but that's hard to do in a greenhouse when you're in a wheelchair.
"People tell you that you can do anything even though you're in a wheelchair, but sometimes that's just not realistic. I took a couple years to decide what I wanted to do. I decided human services would be a good way to help others, so I went to Wayne Community College."
And a degree was not all she got out of her college experience.
She and her fiance, Trey Mooring, will be married in August.
After that, the newly minted graduate will go back to school -- at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
"It's been a long time coming," she said of graduation. "It wasn't my plan to go to Wayne, but plans change sometimes. I think everything happens for a reason. I am happy where I am now."
So, too, were the nearly 800 other students who turned their tassels Friday.
Their sights were set on futures as they marked milestones -- journeys that were not always easy, but that ended in goals fulfilled.
It took Wendy Martinez seven years to get here.
The 38-year-old single mother of two began college in 2008, but quit in 2011 -- just one class away from her degree.
"As a single mom, I had to focus on my children and my work," she said. "I felt it would be impossible to work full-time and go back to school."
She said she was terrified to return for that one class. When she finally went back to school, she got off work each day and went straight to school where she stayed for hours studying with a tutor.
"Many times I emailed my teacher and told her I was going to fail the class," Ms. Martinez said. "She told me not to give up. And I didn't."
And she is not the only one in her family who will have a diploma to hang on the wall.
Her daughter, Tamra, will graduate from Southern Wayne High School next month.
"I want her and my son to know that it's never too late," Ms. Martinez said. "I didn't do things like she is, but, hey, I'm finishing. I want them both to realize that."
And she is not finished either.
Ms. Martinez plans on continuing her studies at Wesleyan College, taking night classes so she can continue working during the day as she pursues her goal of becoming a probation officer.
After graduating from high school, Virgil Shaw didn't think college would be the thing for him, so he took two years off.
But always in the back of his mind was the constant encouragement he had received from one of his high school teachers to go on to college.
One day, he decided to take that step, in part for his own future and also to set an example for his niece and nephew, whom he helped raise, and for his own children one day.
"I knew that I could do it and I had a love for learning," the 27-year-old says now. "I have a great memory, and I needed to use it."
He chose to get his degree in human services technology.
And that inspiration to encourage others to better themselves did not stop with family.
Shaw was known on campus for walking around with a dictionary -- he forced himself to learn 10 new words a day. He even encouraged others to follow his example.
After graduating, Shaw said a lot of stress disappeared.
"I feel great because it's been a long time coming," he said. "Along the way, my house was destroyed by a fire and I lost two cousins who were very close to me. Graduating means all the more now because of going through all that. I have a greater appreciation for being able to hold my degree in my hands and in my heart."
It took a few years for Nathan Trent, 33, to go to college, too. He had always wanted to attend, but went straight to work after high school. When he was laid off from his last job and offered the opportunity of going to school, Trent jumped at the chance.
"I went back to school to get a career," he said.
Getting his degree in criminal justice took some juggling, but it wasn't hard in the end, he said.
"I wanted to spend time with my 9-year-old daughter," he said. "And I play golf with Special Olympics. I finally listened to what everybody was saying that when you set your mind to do something, you can do anything. I feel like God had a hand in this."
But by far the longest wait for a degree belongs to 62-year-old Esther House.
She had wanted to go to college, but life got in the way.
After several jobs, including working for the post office for 20 years, Mrs. House was offered voluntary layoff with her last job with unemployment benefits until she finished college. The package also paid for all of her tuition and books.
"It was hard work, but it was rewarding," she said. "No matter how old you are, you can still go back to school."
Courage must run in the family.
Mrs. House's son is also a student at Wayne Community.
He overcame obstacles himself -- leukemia as a child and a car accident a few years later.
It wasn't easy for him to be there, but he was -- to see his mom walk across that stage with a degree in early childhood education.
He still has a few more years before he can take his own trip across the stage.
College president Dr. Kay Albertson addressed the graduates as part of the commencement ceremonies, acknowledging their hard work and looking forward with them to their bright futures.
"Thank you for reaching this accomplishment called graduation, for making yourselves better persons through education and for what you will do with your knowledge and skills to make the world a better place," she said.