{"id":68,"date":"2019-04-07T17:00:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T17:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/"},"modified":"2019-04-07T17:04:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-07T17:04:05","slug":"pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/","title":{"rendered":"PCC Alumni Association Honors Four during Annual Awards Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">By Rob Goldberg<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">The Pitt Community College Alumni Association held its annual awards ceremony October 30, 2018 to honor distinguished graduates for professional accomplishments and service to the college and community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-70\" src=\"http:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/04\/PCC_Alumni_Logo_2018-copy-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"243\" height=\"229\" \/>The program, which took place on campus, featured the presentation of Outstanding Alumni Awards to Touhida Zannat and Matthew Grace, a Young Alumni Award to Amira Ali, and an Employee Alumni Award to Mecca Waller.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis year\u2019s honorees are prime examples of how Pitt Community College educates and empowers people for success,\u201d said PCC Alumni Board Chair John Carrere. \u201cWhether it\u2019s leadership within their professions or contributing to their local communities, we\u2019re always eager to recognize alumni who demonstrate what is possible with a <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">PCC education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Carrere said the 2018 honorees were selected by a special committee, based on criteria established by the PCC Alumni Association Board. \u201cSo many of our graduates make positive contributions to their local workforces and communities, and they deserve recognition for their achievements,\u201d Carrere said. \u201cThe alumni awards ceremony is a chance for PCC to celebrate former students who have excelled at applying the education they received at the college to their careers and daily lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">A 2014 graduate, Zannat earned an Associate in Science Degree at PCC before moving on to Creighton University and completing a degree in pharmacy. She is currently a licensed pharmacy intern in Williamsburg, Va., awaiting her licensure examination results. Zannat, who has also earned degrees from universities in Bangladesh and Japan, was exceptional in the classroom and in service to the community as a Pitt student. Considered a \u201cpatient and methodical\u201d problem-solver by PCC Science Department Chair Jeff Rorer, she was a 2014 Academic Excellence Award recipient and a Dean\u2019s List student in every semester.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">In addition to supporting the communities in which she has lived in other countries, Rorer says Zannat has volunteered with the American Red Cross, a Virginia elementary school health fair, and at blood pressure screenings. He said she also enjoys teaching others about science and helping them learn English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Grace, a 2004 graduate with a degree in construction management, combined the knowledge he received at PCC with the experience he gained as a job superintendent for a local builder to become a licensed general contractor. He is president of the Greenville-Pitt County Home Builders Association, and, since 2011, has owned and operated Matthew Grace Construction, Inc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Grace was nominated for his award by his mother, Vickie, who noted the many hours her son has volunteered to help advance and promote the local building industry. She added that he is \u201calways willing to help new builders with recommendations\u201d and that his business \u201cemphasizes trust, devotion, accountability and teamwork.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">Ali graduated with an associate degree in Early Childhood Education in May, capping a remarkable PCC career that included Academic Excellence Awards from the N.C. Community College System and PCC, the 2017 State of Mind Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success, and PCC Scholar of Global Distinction honors. She currently teaches part-time at Children\u2019s Campus of Greenville and is <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">a private tutor for children ages 4-10 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">A native Egyptian, Ali had already earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies by the time she moved to the United States more than 15 years ago. And despite her academic responsibilities and duties as a mother of four, she still made time for community service while enrolled at PCC, volunteering at The Oakwood School several hours each week and chairing the school\u2019s International Festival Committee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\"><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>\u201c(Amira\u2019s) participation and desire to make a difference continues through her service to her community,\u201d said PCC Developmental English Instructor Regina Garcia. \u201cThis \u2018Ali Brand\u2019 of service promotes the creative and global knowledge and awareness of young people in her community \u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">A 2014 Pitt graduate, Waller moved on to East Carolina University after completing her associate degree and ultimately earned a master\u2019s in Counseling Education. She now works as a counselor in PCC\u2019s Student Development Services Division.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">\u201cMecca is well-respected by her peers and is known for her warm service to students,\u201d said Carrere, who nominated Waller for her award. \u201cShe has involved herself on campus as an advisor for the Circle of Sisters Club, guides new students through the enrollment process, gives testimony as a first-generation student for the TRiO Student Support Services program, and assists with gathering items for the Student Development Services food pantry to provide for students in need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Open Sans';\">PCC Alumni Award Nominations for 2019 will be accepted in August 2019 with a recognition event scheduled for October 15, 2019. Nomination forms may be accessed beginning in July at the Pitt Community College Foundation website at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pittccfoundation.com\">www.pittccfoundation.com<\/a> (search \u201cAwards\u201d).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Rob Goldberg The Pitt Community College Alumni Association held its annual awards ceremony October 30, 2018 to honor distinguished graduates for professional accomplishments and service to the college and community. The program, which took place on campus, featured the presentation of Outstanding Alumni Awards to Touhida Zannat and Matthew Grace, a Young Alumni Award&#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-68","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-success-story","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>PCC Alumni Association Honors Four during Annual Awards Program - Spring 2019, Volume 12 \u2013 Issue 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PCC Alumni Association Honors Four during Annual Awards Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Rob Goldberg The Pitt Community College Alumni Association held its annual awards ceremony October 30, 2018 to honor distinguished graduates for professional accomplishments and service to the college and community. The program, which took place on campus, featured the presentation of Outstanding Alumni Awards to Touhida Zannat and Matthew Grace, a Young Alumni Award... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spring 2019, Volume 12 \u2013 Issue 1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-07T17:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-07T17:04:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/04\/awards.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pittcc.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2019-volume-12-issue-1\/pcc-alumni-association-honors-four-during-annual-awards-program\/\",\"name\":\"PCC Alumni Association Honors Four during Annual Awards Program - 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