Vol. 13 Issue 7July 2007
 

Headlines

Phi Beta Lambda Wins at National Competition

A-B Tech's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) won six awards, including a first place, during the National Leadership Conference June 23-26 in Chicago.

Students Sabrina Boone and Preston Sellers won first place for their presentation in Partnership with Business. The project was a collaboration with Blue Ridge Food Ventures, the A-B Tech Small Business Center, and Advantage West. Students completed a strategic market plan for Blue Ridge Food Ventures, an incubator business on A-B Tech's Enka campus. Boone also placed 10th for Sports Marketing.

Bryan Warren and Kevin Davio received fifth place for their Community Service Project to team up with the WNC Aids Project and eight other agencies to sponsor the Aids Walk.

Other fifth-place winners were Michelle Marcoux and Sara Davis for the American Enterprise Project working with the Small Business Center for the Export Expo. Students were ambassadors for the college and helped facilitate the event. Nathan Hazlett also won fifth place for Java Programming.

The College chapter received the Gold Seal Award of Merit which is presented to only a small percentage of chapters across the country in recognition of their program of work for the year.

Nine students were honored as Institute for Leaders Honors graduates: Bryan Warren, Kevin Davio, Sabrina Boone, Preston Sellers, Michelle Marcoux, Sara Davis, Katrina Bragg, Sam Hersk and Nathan Hazlett.

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GED Graduates Told to Build Relationships

Kizzy Hughes receiving GED

GED graduate Kizzy Hyatt receives her certificate after speaking during the recognition ceremony June 12.

Robert Smith, director of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council, urged more than 100 GED/Adult High School graduates to never stop studying or learning during the annual recognition ceremony.

Smith was the community speaker for the program June 12. The 2006-07 A-B Tech GED/AHS graduation class was comprised of 557 students.

"Don't think it's a small thing what you've done," Smith said. "It's a big thing. Many of you have come from impossible situations. I want to lift you up."

Speaking to a filled Ferguson Auditorium, Smith encouraged students to go deeper and build lifelong relationships. "When it comes to love, you can take it with you," he said.

Student speaker Antonio Hernandez-Rosales first entered the ESL program at A-B Tech and then earned his GED. He expressed his joy by following his speech with a salsa dance.

Graduate Kizzy Hyatt, who has cerebral palsy, was given a standing ovation after she spoke. "I came to A-B Tech to get my GED and there were times I thought I couldn't do it," she said. "I found I can do anything I set my mind to. Know that you can do anything. Take what I say to heart."

Robert Smith speaking at GED graduation

Robert Smith, director of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council, speaks to A-B Tech GED/AHS graduates June 12.

The cerebral palsy caused quadraplegia and compromised vision, which left Hyatt legally blind. "Now, for some folks that might create a dark view of humanity and/or the world," Barbara Brownsmith, ABE/GED/Adult High School coordinator said. "Not for Kizzy, she is a paragon of good humor and positive outlook, can-do attitude and joy for all to see."

After Hyatt received her GED, she enrolled in curriculum courses at the College. "My main goal is Medical Transcription or to help people while working in the medical field," she said. "People think if you're in a (wheel)chair, you don't have a brain. You're already expected to be 'not normal.' I have a learning disability and it was hard for me, but I made it."

Libby Hodan, Foundation Development officer, presented College Bridge Scholarships to four students who will enter curriculum programs at the College in the fall. The students were Justin Goodell, Yvette Jennings, Christian Rominger and Daniel Swain.

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Sister City Visit Scheduled for July

Sharon Morrissey at Instituto Technologico Superior De Valladolid in Mexico

Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Instructional Services vice president, third from right, with representatives of the Instituto Technologico Superior De Valladolid. Tom and Kathy Jones, who served as liaisons, are pictured fourth from left and second from right.

A delegation from Asheville's newest Sister City, Valladolid, Mexico, will visit A-B Tech in July after Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Instructional Services vice president, and Kelley Villota, ESL instructor, visited the city and its higher education institutes in March.

Valladolid became a member of Asheville Sister Cities in 2006, joining Vladikavkaz, Russia; San Cristobal, Mexico; Saumur, France; and Karpenisi, Greece. Villota is on the San Cristobal committee with the organization.

Morrissey and Villota traveled to Valladolid to meet with officials from the University of Valladolid and the Instituto Technologico Superior De Valladolid, the Mexico equivalent of a community college.

"We went for a preliminary meeting in March to arrange for their visit in July," Morrissey said. "President (K. Ray) Bailey asked me if I wanted to accompany Kelley, who would be visiting the University of Valladolid where they are very focused on English as a Second Language. I visited the technical college. We ended up in two separate places and it worked out really well."

The visit to Asheville from Valladolid will be July 9-19, with three days on the College campus.

"They were very interested in learning the teaching methods that Kelley and our ESL department uses," Morrissey said. "Even at the technical institute that I visited, the students were learning English. It is important to Mexico that students are multilingual."

"I met with the program director or department chair of the languages department at the university. I gave a presentation about Asheville, our students and about A-B Tech's ESL program. I also taught some of their English classes while I was there," Villota said. "All of the students in the languages department are learning English, French and Mayan. I actually sat in on a basic Mayan class. The students will graduate from the program with four languages, including their native language."

Sharon Morrissey at an archeological site in Mexico

Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Instructional Services vice president, second from right, at an archeological site, Ek Balam, near Valladolid, Mexico.

Villota said the university was smaller than A-B Tech and the classrooms didn't have air conditioning, but the program was more modern than she expected. "They use up-to-date teaching techniques. The level of instruction was really high quality. I think it's impressive how they are making an effort to rediscover and reclaim the Mayan culture."

"It's sort of like the Cherokee culture here in Western North Carolina. They are learning the Mayan language, restoring Mayan archaeological sites, and teaching children the music, language, and culture," Morrissey said.

The idea of the Sister City project is to create an exchange for faculty and students. "We are going to work toward student exchanges and internships," Morrissey said. "They want professional development for their faculty. Maybe they can send faculty here for short term one- to two-week sessions where they can shadow our faculty and learn about our technical programs.

"In return, I can see us sending our faculty to Valladolid to learn about the Mayan culture, to visit the archeology sites and learn about the Yucatan cuisine. It was quite unique."

Valladolid was founded in 1543 by the Spanish and named after the then capital of Spain. It has a population of 38,000 and is the second largest city in the Yucatan.

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Student Artwork Receives Purchase Award »

 

Tech Talk is published by the Communications Office for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Editor: Mona Cornwell, Writer: Martha Ball, Designer: April Sides
Send submissions to: Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu