The Decree
since 1960 “of, by, andfor the Wesleyan community.”
May 15, 2015
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
New ASPIRE grads Diane Strickland (left) and
Grace Wallace.
Graduating Seniors Look
Back on Time at NCWC
By Kristofer Paul Harris
Decree Staff Writer
Here are brief profiles of students who
graduated on May 2. In them, the grads
discuss their career plans, their memories
of Wesleyan and their regrets.
Tyler Biehl, a native of Jacksonville,
North Carolina, is graduating with two de
grees, one in computer information systems
and the other in business administration.
“I really liked computers and I’ve always
wanted to work on them,” he said. Biehl
said that his degree in business administra
tion would help him enter his career. After
graduation, he plans to move to Cary, where
he will work at SAS Institute as a software
technical support agent.
When asked what he would miss about
Wesleyan, Biehl replied. “I really like some
of the people I met here, especially some
of the professors.” When asked what he
would change about Wesleyan, he said that
he would look at the college’s admissions
process. 'They want to keep increasing
security here,” he said, “but the college
continues to let in ignorant kids who do
nothing but play sports and mess around.”
While at Wesleyan, Tikeyah Shaw
became fascinated with the American
legal system, graduating with a degree in
criminal justice. The Goldsboro native said
that when she took intro classes in criminal
justice, she became interested in how the
justice system works and how it can be
improved. She plans to apply for jobs in
the Raleigh area, where her mother lives.
She is hoping to land ajob as an associate
probation or parole officer. After establish
ing herself in Raleigh, she wants to look
into law school. “I’m not sure where I
want to go quite yet. but I’ve thought about
applying to Campbell,” she said.
When asked what she would miss most
about being a Bishop. Shaw said she would
miss her friends and the environment
that allowed her to see them every day. “I
plan to keep in touch with the friends I’ve
met here," she said. When asked what
she would do differently, she said that
she would take her freshman year more
seriously. She also said that she wishes she
could have gotten more students involved
in student activities. When asked what she
would change about the school, Shaw said
that she would improve the technology,
noting the slow speed of computers and
issues with deleted or missing documents
on student accounts.
Stephen Bardswick. a student from
Ontario, Canada, hopes to become a
lawyer, having graduated with degrees in
political science and history. A member of
the Bishops golf team, he plans to take a
year off from school and return to Canada
where he’ll work at his summer job on a
golf course. After some time off, he plans
to return to the States, residing in Florida
while he studies for the LSAT. with hopes
of studying law in Canada or Great Britain.
When asked what he would miss
about Wesleyan, Bardswick replied, “I’ll
miss the friends I’ve made here over the
years and my professors, especially Dr.
Husmann. I’ll also miss my fraternity
brothers and watching it (Alpha Sigma
Phi) grow here at Wesleyan.” When
asked what he would do differently if he
could redo his college career, Bardswick
said that he would have taken school
more seriously and would not have
wasted precious free time. Asked what
he would change about Wesleyan, he
said, "I would like to make the campus
less religious. FAITH/forward? I thought
For ASPIRE Grads the Road Can Be Long
By Decree Staff
Decree photo.
For many ASPIRE
students, persistence
is just as important as
intelligence and strong
study skills. Here The
Decree profiles two
women who graduated
May 2, Grace Wallace
and Diane Strickland.
Interviews were
we were here for an education?” Like
Biehl, a fellow member of the college’s
honors program, Bardswick thought
it best if Wesleyan raised admission
standards to increase the quality of
students and the graduation rate. “The
acceptance rate is high and the graduation
rate is, what, a third of that?”
KeCharna White sees her future
in marketing, after graduating with one
degree in entertainment and another in
liberal arts studies, with a concentration in
communication. A Washington. D.C., na
tive, she said that originally she planned to
major in journalism and communication,
but neither was offered during her fresh
man year, so instead she chose to major
in entertainment and minor in journalism.
After graduation. White plans to apply for
jobs at marketing firms while she works
her summer job at a casino near home.
When asked what she would miss,
White said that she would miss the people
that she has bonded with here. Specifically,
she said, she will miss “laughing with my
friends.” When asked what she would do
differently if she could relive her college
experience, White said she would make
sure she graduated in four years. When
asked what she would change about Wes
leyan, she said that she would add more
majors and minors and have the school
develop a closer relationship with Rocky
Mount’s corporations and businesses to
open more opportunities for internships.
Having loved computers since he was
young, Jessie Smith is graduating with a
degree in computer information systems.
The Fayetteville native plans to work at
MBM, the food distribution company
in Rocky Mount, where he interned for
almost a year. When asked what he would
miss about Wesleyan, he responded, “I’ll
miss the people I met here." When asked
what he would like to change about the
school. Smith said he would add more CIS
classes to the schedule. When questioned
about his regrets, the magna cum laude
grad said that would get involved with
more activities and get even better grades.
Nepal Gets Support from NCWC Community
Wesleyan came together April 29 to back home. It was difficult at first to reach massive earthquake, but that there war
siinnort its commi mite of Nenatese stiidents her bv ohone, she said. Instead she used ^o need to worry about his immediate
support its community of Nepalese students
devastated by the April 25 earthquake
that struck their homeland and caused
more than 8,000 deaths.
The college held a candlelight vigil
at the Leon Russell Chapel, which was
filled to near capacity. More than $700 was
raised to help relief efforts by the Red Cross
and other international and local agencies,
according to Sabina Paudel, a Wesleyan
honors student and Nepali, who helped
arrange the vigil days before her graduation.
"What we’re doing here tonight is
loving our neighbors as ourselves,”
said Chaplain Barry Drum, who led the
gathering. “This is indeed a global village
where we love and care for each other.”
While Wesleyan’s 11 Nepalese students
reported that their family members were safe, in
interviews several recalled the panic, helpless
ness and deep sadness felt on learning of the
catastrophe and seeing the suffering of their
countrymen unfold on TV and social media
Paudel, a native of the capital Katmandu,
said that at the time of the earthquake her
parents were in the U.S. to attend her
graduation. So she was focused on contact
ing her brother, who soon reported that
he was safe and that their house sustained
only cracks and other minor damage.
Paudel's attention then turned to a friend
conducted over email in the two weeks
before the ceremony.
Grace Wallace
Wallace, 53, graduated summa
cum laude with a business degree,
more than 30 years after she first
attempted college. She is an NCWC
employee who was honored in 2000 as
the outstanding staff person. In 2013,
she was recognized as a North Carolina
Outstanding Library Paraprofessional.
She and her husband, Wayne, live in
Rocky Mount. Wayne Wallace's voice would
be familiar to many Bishops sports fan, as
he served as public address announcer for
football, basketball and other sports over a
17-year career. Tire Wallaces ate the parents
of a 15-year-old daughter. Dawn, who
attends Faith Christian School and “only gets
to celebrate her birthday every four years,"
since she was bom on February 29.
Q. Tell us about your original attempt
at earning a four-year degree. I attended
Atlantic Christian College (now Barton
College) in my first year after high school.
Lots of things worked against me that year
including sickness and I decided it was best
to attend a community college rather than
go back to ACC the second year.
Q. What prompted you to pursue a
four-year college degree at NCWC? I
always wanted to continue my education
and working at Wesleyan offered the
opportunity to attend school for free.
Q. When you were taking classes, what
was a typical day for you? Taking ASPIRE
classes made my days very long especially the
days I opened the library. I would be at work
by 7:15 a.m. and not get home until 10:30
at night or later. I missed a lot of special mo
ments with family and friends. Lunch hours
were spent reading, researching and writing
papers. But in the end it was all worth it!
Q. Did you ever consider abandoning
your pursuit of a degree? There were
times I wanted to quit, but instead of quitting
I would take a session off. One semester
was especially hard. My mama got sick and
it was difficult to attend classes knowing
I should be with her. I fell behind in
assignments a couple of times and I thought
about dropping classes. When I talked to
the instractors, they refused to let me give
up! They were the best, allowing me extra
time to turn in my assignments. I'll always
be grateful for their understanding as it
allowed the time I needed, knowing my
mama would not be with me much longer.
Q. What did you like most about the
ASPIRE program? It offered the opportu
nity to attend college at night while continuing
to work a full-time job. Plus, I was able to
attend class with other adults and I made lots
of new friends that will last a lifetime.
Q. What one thing would you change?
Personally I don’t know of anything that I
her by phone, she said. Instead she used
Facebook, but grew worried after hearing
nothing for three days. She then sought help
by “tagging” her friends’ college classmates,
who got in touch. ‘My friend marked herself
safe on Facebook,” Paudel said, expressing
relief, “and then replied to my post.”
Sophomore Ojas Pradhan comes from
the southern part of Katmandu. He said
that his mother texted him the night of
the 25th and he picked up the message
the next morning. “She said there was a
Katie Crickmore, seen here presenting the findings of her honors project, was named winner of the Algernon
Sydney Sullivan award during the May 2 graduation ceremony atthe Dunn Center. Megan Brabble was
winner of the Presidents Cup award in recognition of academic excellence. The ceremony saw 168 graduates
receive their diplomas, 60 from the traditional-day program and 108 from ASPIRE. The commencement address was
delivered by Quentin T Sumner, senior resident judge for the North Carolina Superior Court; who gave a humorous
a nd at-times poignant talk about his youth. The pa eked auditorium was riveted a she described overcoming
racism in his hometown of Rocky Mount and exhortedthe graduates notto let others define them. K Beeman photo
would change. But the one complaint I hear
most from ASPIRE classmates is about the
lack of a place to go for snacks during breaks.
Most students run over to McDonald’s or
Sheetz. So, it would be nice to have some
where to grab a quick snack while on break.
Q. Describe your occupation. I’m
technical services associate at Pearsall
Library. I'm responsible for ordering and
cataloging all books and other resources. I
order inter-library loan items for students,
faculty and staff. I provide reference
assistance and other duties along with other
members of the library staff. July 1st will mark
my 18th anniversary with NC Wesleyan.
Q. What other degrees have you
earned? I have an associate’s degree in
business administration from Nash Com
munity College and an associate’s degree
in library and information technology from
Central Carolina Community College,
where I graduated with honors. I have cer
tificates in library cataloging, library public
services, and library technical services from
Central Carolina Community College.
Q. What do you plan to do with your
degree? I don’t have any specific plans
after graduating. I hope my degree will
help me to obtain a promotion and a pay
increase in the near future. I love my posi
tion here at Wesleyan and will continue to
support the college in every possible way.
Q. What will you be thinking as you
cross the stage at graduation? First, I will
be thanking My Lord and Savior for all HE
has allowed me to accomplish. Second, I
will be thinking about my Mama and how
proud she would be of me and wishing she
were here with me to see me get my diploma.
Q. What does getting your degree
mean to you? It’s an honor to graduate
summa cum laude. It proves no matter
how old someone is, you can strive to
do your best and succeed. I hope my
achievements will inspire my daughter
to strive to do her best and to follow in
my footsteps by attending college, maybe
even here at Wesleyan.
Diane Strickland
Strickland had not tried college
right out of high school, but she was
encouraged to purse a four-year degree
later in life by an employer.
A business administration major,
Strickland, 52, was bom in Spring Hope
and fives in Rocky Mount with her family.
She’s married and the mother four adult
children, ranging in age from 32 to 26.
She’s a team leader at UTC Aerospace,
having just reached 10 years of service.
Her team builds fire detection sensors for
airplanes. Prior to enrolling at Wesleyan,
Strickland earned an associate’s degree
from Edgecombe Community College.
Q. Why did you enroll at NC Wes
leyan? I decided to pursue a college degree
family and that their house suffered
no damage, though aftershocks were a
worry for days after the initial event.
Though the earthquake was devastating,
it was not unexpected. Pradhan said Nepalis
“have had it in the backs of our minds for
years about an impending earthquake. I just
wasn’t expecting one with such a major impact”
He said he was shocked when he
looked at photographs on the Internet,
noting, in particular, the damage to
See NEPAL on pg 4
after going to work at my current location. I
was told by my department manager then that
he saw qualities in me he liked, especially
the way I worked. After listening to him, two
years later I enrolled in school.
Q. What have you liked most about
the ASPIRE program? It fit my schedule.
I didn't have to miss time from work, just
to purse higher education. Bills still roll in
even when you’re in school. NCWC is very
convenient for me.
Q. What would you change about
the ASPIRE program? Nothing, I’m
pleased to have been an ASPIRE student.
Q. What advice would you offer
an older adult who is contemplating
getting a college education? I don't think
people who want to learn are ever too old
to learn, and shouldn't let life circumstances
stop them from pursuing a high education.
Q. How will your Wesleyan degree
help you in your career and life in gen
eral? I hope my degree will help with the
upward mobility at my current job, perhaps
with higher income. I hope it will even
break a few glass ceilings. I’ll be praising God
for his love and mercy as He has allowed
me to achieve another gift. I hope that I
am setting an example for women of all
ages and color, letting them know you can
do whatever you set your mind to do.
Cranick To Join
Williams in
Leading SGA
By Katie Beeman
Senior Staff Writer
Kelly Cranick won the election for
SGA Vice President in a runoff on March
27 and will be joining new President
Emanuel Williams, who ran unopposed
in the initial round of balloting.
Despite repeated requests by The Decree,
SGA election organizers declined to provide
the vote totals from the runoff and the
original election, which. SGA said, ended in
a tie between Cranick and Raymond Bryant.
Though he was unopposed, Williams, a
freshman from Washington, North Carolina,
used the election week to make himself
known by putting up flyers and talking to
students around campus. “I wanted to make
the student body aware of what my plans
were when I became president,” he said.
Williams' goals stall with establish
ing order within his own executive
board. “How can we help other clubs
and organizations if our own organiza
tion is not set in order?” he asked,
stating that he planned to meet soon
with the new board and set its agenda.
The new president would like to help
organize more student activities and get a larger
turnout by students, faculty and staff. He said
he plans for SGA members to poll students
to gauge their interest in new clubs. Williams
wants to have leadership training for foe
presidents of all foe clubs. He will continue to
strengthen foe relationship the school has with
the city of Rocky Mount a goal that former
president Isaiah Morrow shared.
Williams expressed respect for
Morrow. “Isaiah will be mentoring
me through the process,” stated the
freshman. "He will always be a role
model to me and I'm confident that I
can maintain the strong leadership role
that Isaiah has established in SGA.”
Even though he has only been at Wesleyan
for a year, Williams is confident in his abilities
as president and cites God as his source of
strength. "I have served a God who has brought
me out of eveiy challenging time,” he said
Raised by a single mother, Williams found
male role models in his grandfather, his
pastor Roy Gray, and his employer Jimmy
Congleton. “I had the urge to join a gang, but
God helped me through it,” he said.
Williams sees starting his presidency as a
sophomore as an advantage. “I can be a voice
for foe students,” he said. “I have new ideas to
bring to foe table. I'm open to listening to foe
students and voicing their opinions.”
As a freshman Williams was already part
of many organizations on campus such as
Leadership Wesleyan, Voices of Triumph,
Nu Gama Phi, Refuge, and The Bridge. He
is a criminal justice major with a minor
See CRANICK on page 2
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