Foundation Scholarship Recipient Profiles
Funding for A-B Tech Foundation Scholarships comes from a variety of sources, and this month's featured students have each benefited from the Community Foundation of Kentucky Scholarship for $1,000.
John Aikman
John Aikman is a Culinary Arts student who was named to the dean's list and has been invited to join Phi Theta Kappa. "I have always been interested in the field of culinary arts ever since my time in high school, where I attended a gourmet foods cooking class," he wrote. "My career goal is to someday travel to Spain, as a student of the culinary arts, and learn all that I can about the culture of the people and their different cuisines. I believe Spain offers people in the U.S. much in the area of tastes and history for us to enjoy."
James Kimp
James Kimp is an Associate in Arts student who works full-time while maintaining a 3.0 GPA. "Over the years, in various jobs where I was called on to work closely with people from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, I slowly came to realize that my gifts lay in the area of human interaction. I was at my best when working with other people to assist them in meetings their needs and improving their quality of life," he wrote. "I know I want to eventually complete the M.S.W. degree and work toward licensure as a social worker.
Tracy King
Tracy King is a Licensed Practical Nurse who came to A-B Tech to enter the Associate Degree in Nursing program to become an RN. She credits her sons for all her accomplishments. "They give me hope, they give me strength, and they inspire me to be a better person," she wrote. "As I go to work each day, I find that I am able to perform my duties as a Licensed Practical Nurse with more care and compassion due to my first role as a mother."
Leewanda Miller
Leewanda Miller is a Criminal Justice Technology student who has been named to the President's List and holds a 3.667 GPA. "Once I have completed my education and seek employment, I plan to give back to the community by assisting young people with their education as a mentor," she wrote. "It is important that we strive for a higher place in life and not stop at the high school level. I want to continue my education once I have graduated from A-B Tech and transfer to Western Carolina University and seek a bachelor's degree in science."
Randal Metcalf
Randal Metcalf is an Associate Degree in Nursing student who has been maintaining a 4.0 GPA. "My current goal is to pursue a career in which I feel I am tapping into all my personality strengths," he wrote. "My desire is to make a difference in people's lives. I have a strong desire to help people and enjoy working to help them. After finishing here I plan to attend Western Carolina University and receive a bachelor's degree in nursing."
Neal Smith
Neal Smith is Hotel and Restaurant Management student, and served as the student-manager of the Mountain Tech Lodge for the past year. He is also president of the A-B Tech Hospitality Club. "I want to be the very best. I feel with the educational base that A-B Tech has given me, along with perseverance, patience, and hard work, the sky is the limit," he wrote. "I also want to establish a strong presence in the community."
Sandra Storey
Sandra Storey is a Veterinary Medical Technology student who has been named to the Dean's List. "This is a degree I have always wanted," she wrote. "With my husband being in the military, we were never stationed close to a college that had this program. I was excited to hear A-B Tech was starting such a program. I think that it will be a privilege to be working with and counted as one of these noble, caring, and dedicated professionals."
Dennis Westall
Dennis Westall is a CAD Technology student who wants to make sure his future is taken care of. He broke his neck in an accident five days before Christmas in 2002, and is in a wheelchair. "With just the (Social Security) payments I receive are not enough to live on. I hope to start a career in mechanical or architectural engineering," he wrote. "I plan to graduate with an associate's degree in computer-aided drafting. Later on I plan to take mechanical drafting classes to further my education."
Alyssa Whitman
Alyssa Whitman is a Baking and Pastry Arts student with a 3.5 GPA. "Through my hard work and dedication I have earned a prestigious internship with the Grove Park Inn," she wrote. "I am in school because I love what I do, and it is my goal to receive the fullest educational experience I can. Upon acquiring a well-balanced knowledge base, I hope to open a café of my own in Asheville, along with my husband who is currently a restaurant manager."
Grace Williams
Grace Williams is an Associate of Science student with plans to transfer to UNCA's biochemistry program. "When I have received my bachelor's in biochemistry I will apply for graduate school at UNC or hopefully medical school," she wrote. "I plan to develop my career around humanitarian projects and service. My biochemistry focus will be neurotransmitters in the body and how the regulation of which influences our perception of reality."
Festivals of Light On Campus
Debi Miles, executive director of the Center for Diversity Education, discusses one of the light-filled holidays during A-B Tech's Festivals of Light Dec. 2 in the Learning Resources Center. This was an artifact and food-based program about the selected light-filled holidays of Ramadan, Moravian Lovefeast, Christmas in England, Inti Raymi in Peru and Chanukah.
2005 Planting Project for Environmental Biology Reintroduces Native Species
Students in Biology Instructor Scott Jackson's class removed invasive plant species from the A-B Tech campus and planted native species outside the greenhouse next to the Sycamore Building.
By Alice Hall,
Environmental Biology student
On Dec. 1, the Environmental Biology class taught by Scott Jackson helped to beautify our campus. This was a project intended for his class, and he and his students took part in removing invasive plant species from the A-B Tech campus and also planted a few native species.
They planted 14 different types of plants with a total of 38 plants all combined. The names of some of these plants are Catawba rhododendron, viburnum, deciduous holly, mountain laurel, hearts a' burstin', climbing hydrangea, and summersweet clethra, just to name a few.
Jackson and his students planted these on the hill outside of the greenhouse connected to the Sycamore building and beside the parking lot of Sycamore. Some of the plants his students removed were Oriental bittersweet (a vine), kudzu (also a vine), and bamboo (a grass). Oriental bittersweet comes from Asia and was introduced in our area about 1736. Kudzu came from Japan and China in the early 1900s and bamboo came from Asia. They removed these plants from behind the Maple and Azalea buildings.
Invasive species have no real "predators" and are always introduced from somewhere else in the world. Invasive species have nothing that regulates their population growth because native species (both plant and animal species) in the area have no defenses against these exotic species. Therefore, they run rampant and sometimes overwhelm other species native to the area. Over time, the native species can recover and build strains against these invasive species but this can take hundreds of years. The Environmental Biology class, however, helped to curb some of this growth on our campus and also added some native beauty. If you have time to spare, you should check out the plants these students worked hard to place on our campus.