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Loretta Sherrod
Lassiter Reached
Her Goals
Today Loretta Sherrod Lassiter owns two
beauty shops and a supply store for beauty
products. She lives in a handsome four-bed-
room home on four and a half acres of land
near Wendell.
Loretta Sherrod was a twin, one of nine
children. She left high school without a di
ploma, even though her eight brothers and
sisters all finished. “I went to Johnston Com
munity College (then Johnston Tech) to get
my high school diploma because I didn’t
want to break the family’s record,” she says.
She completed the Adult High School
program at JCC. That was Step One in Lo
retta’s plan to make a success of her life,
against all odds. “I listened to a tape called
‘Reaching Your Goals’ while 1 was in the
Learning Lab at the College,” she recalls.
“That tape became my inspiration.”
Already employed at GTLvSylvania’s
Smithfield plant, Loretta returned to JCC to
study in the Business Department. She took
as many courses as she could squeeze into
her schedule.
“Loretta had something special.” recalls
Business instructor Luther Massengill. “She
had a natural gift for getting along well with
people. And she always gave 100% to what
ever she was doing!”
While she was a student she applied for a
production supervisor’s position at Syl-
vania, and, with strong recommendations
from her instructors, she got the job.
After Sylvania closed its Smithfield plant,
Loretta secured another supervisor’s
position, this time at Northern Telecom. She
had also begun to work on certification in
Cosmetology at JCC.
“1 was a JCC student for seven straight
years!” she says.
Between 1982 and 1986 she worked full
time at Northern Telecom and also worked
as a beautician. “I’ve always had a lot of en
ergy,” she explains.
She earned an Associate in Applied Sci
ence degree in Industrial Management and a
certificate in Cosmetology before she
stopped being a JCC student.
Loretta Sherrod Lassiter displa\^s some of the beaufy supplies she distributes to area beaufy shops.
“So many teachers and others at the Tech
went out of their way to help me,” she says.
“And I am grateful for the financial aid that
the school was able to find for me when I
needed it.”
In 1986 Loretta resigned at Northern Tele
com in order to devote herself to her three
business enterprises: Unique Styling Num
ber One in Selma, Unique Styling Number
Two in Wendell, and Unique Beauty Supply
of Selma. She employs several JCC cosme
tology graduates in the two styling salons, in
cluding her twin sister Louella and her older
daughter Legrace. (Loretta’s son Reginald is
with the US Navy in Japan, and her young
er daughter Shuphora will be a freshman at
UNC-CH this fall). Her husband. Roger Neil
Lassiter, who is employed at Northern Tele
com, has also taken courses at JCC. This fall
he will enroll in the College’s Cosmetology
program.
“I love people. I want everybody to be
happy!” says this successful business wo
man. Her advice to others is simple: “You
can do it - a little at a time!”
JCC TRUSTEE DONATES FUNDS FOR SCHOLARSHIP,
CAMPUS BEAUTIFICATION
Johnston Communiti; College Trustee Walter B. Elsee and his wife Julia have recent-
/y given $9,000 to the College's general scholarship fund. Mr. Elsee also donated $1,500
to the College for the purpose of campus beautification.
Electronics Honor Grad Says Women
Should Not Be ‘Afraid’ of Math
Betty Jo-Anne Owens has the highest
grade point average in this year’s Electronics
Engineering Technology class.
Betty Jo is also the only woman in this
year’s EET class.
How does it feel to be so much in the min
ority? “It’s not so bad,” she says. “Sure, the
boys tease me and give me a hard time. But
they’re like brothers to me. They pick on me
like they would a sister!”
And her “brothers” have to admit that this
Bettp Jo Owens works at one of JCC’s new IBM computers.
Engineering was “a nice pap check.”
One incentive for entering Electronics
petite brown-eyed gal can hold her own
academically!
Kenly native Betty Jo came into the Elec
tronics Engineering program almost by acci-
deriL
Having dropped out of high school with
out graduating, she decided to enter the
Adult High School program at Johnston
Community College. She earned her diplo
ma in less than a year.
While she was in Adult High School, Betty
Jo and her classmates shared a break area
with students and instructors from the Col
lege’s Electronics Engineering program.
Betty Jo liked what she heard about electro
nics, and she knew that she had always been
a strong student in mathematics. She de
cided to take her best shot at getting an As
sociate in Applied Science degree in EET.
“The instructors gave me individual help
when I needed it,” she reports. “They were
friendly and wanted me to stick in the pro
gram. Some of the boys in the class had ta
ken electronics courses in high school that I
hadn't, but (Department Chairman) Ed
Bowling helped me to catch up.”
Betty Jo married Jeffrey Owens in 1987.
Jeffrey was already a graduate of the EET
program and employed by Northern Tele
com. “I saw Jeffrey’s nice paycheck,” Betty
Jo says, “and 1 could see there was a great
future for people with degrees in electro-
Betty Jo is set to graduate this fall. “I want
to share my story,” she says, “if it will help
get more girls in electronics. Girls are so
afraid of math that they pass up wide-open
fields like electronics - but they shouldn’t!”
C’mon girls! The Electronics Engineering
Technology two-year program is a great
place to prepare for a career with good pay
and excellent opportunities for advance
ment.
Then, too, electronics classes are great
places to meet bright, ambitious guys!