SCC brings ‘one stop shop’ to Adult Learner Open House on July 17
As part of the fifth cohort of NC Reconnect, Southeastern Community College hosted its first Adult Learner Open House on July 17 in the Williamson Library. The open house event acted as a one stop shop for adult learners to apply to SCC, register for classes, get help with financial aid and learn about on-campus resources.
Administrative Assistant to Dean of Student Services Ashley McPherson described the Adult Learner Open House as a successful event with a greater turnout than she expected with 40 in total. McPherson was pleased to see people bring family members who were not preregistered for the event and then watch them register for classes.
“The main goal of this event was to reach out to adult learners in our community, get them on campus and interact with campus staff,” McPherson said. “The other main goal was to get our adult learner population established. With this being the first open house, it was interesting to see how they responded.”
With the Adult Learner Open House scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., McPherson said the event was all about convenience and community. With all resources available in one location and at a time that most people were off work, McPherson said that adult learners felt at ease with seeing other people there who are facing similar challenges.
“They weren’t just showing up to a place and not knowing where to go,” McPherson said. “There was someone there guiding them every step of the way.”
Giving back to her church and learning about video production was Reesey Robertson’s reason for attending open house. Working at Tabor Correctional Institution for five years, Robertson said she wanted a new career as a video production technician for her church at Gospel Harvest Church of God in Christ in Bolton. She heard about NC Reconnect from her pastor, Shawn Maynor, who was part of SCC’s faith-based outreach efforts.
“I invited so many women to this event who are single parents and sit at home all day with nothing to do,” Robertson said. “I had brain surgery in 2022, and if I don’t get to sit at home, they don’t get to sit at home. I told them I was coming to this open house and bringing my kids and grandson.”
Robertson graduated from the early childhood education program at SCC in 2019. Robertson said she was grateful to return to SCC free of charge thanks to financial aid and the Next NC Scholarship and other federal aid. She plans to earn an associates degree in Audio/Video Production.
Unable to finish her degree in deaf interpretation at UNC Greensboro, 20-year-old Rayana Williams attended open house to sign up for welding classes. With concerns about her safety in a welding job from her friends and family, Williams said she is willing to take a risk, learn a new skill and do something that others consider dangerous.
“I’ve watched so many YouTube videos about welding, so I’d love to try it out,” Williams said. “If I don’t like it, I can always switch to something else.”
Williams learned about NC Reconnect and the Adult Learner Open House from Robertson, who she described as her “sweet and lovely mother who got me out of the house.” Williams said she enrolled at SCC free of charge and will start classes in August. Her previous interactions with SCC include being a part of the Educational Talent Search program and attending Senior Day as an East Columbus Gator.
“The purpose of the open house was to bring together those students who are enrolled or will be enrolled in the fall semester, and it gave them a one stop opportunity to do everything that’s needed to be in class,” said Angie Ransom, Associate Vice President for Education and Training. “This was a great relationship building opportunity for new learners to establish faces with names, get correspondence about their next steps and connecting the functions and support areas for these new students in a way that’s more personable and relatable.”
Director of Financial Aid Sheila Dockery assisted adult learners with their college application, their residency application and the FAFSA. Dockery said she was surprised at the number of students she helped who had never attended college. She said that open house was a successful event with lots of people interested in upskilling or entering a new career.
Ready to take the next step as an adult learner at SCC? Contact Jessica McDowell, SCC’s Adult Learner and Customer Relationship Management Coordinator, at [email protected] or 910-788-6371.
