Wallace State Community College highlighted at ACCS Celebration in Montgomery
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State Community College was represented by approximately 90 students and members of its faculty and staff at the 2016 Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Day Celebration in Montgomery this week.
Wallace State’s Savannah Grattan, a Fast Track for Industry medical assistant student from Good Hope High School, was among the keynote student speakers at the event, which took place at the lawn in between the Capitol and Alabama State Archives and History Building. Also in attendance from Wallace State were President Dr. Vicki Karolewics, Vice President Dr. Tomesa Smith and Dean of Applied Technologies Jimmy Hodges.
The ACCS invited all 25 community or technical colleges to celebrate in Montgomery for the second consecutive year in recognition of April being designated as Community College month across the state.
Grattan, 17, was one of three keynote speakers at Community College Day along with a student representative from Northeast Alabama and Wallace Community College in Dothan. Grattan, also a junior at Good Hope, discussed the benefits she has experienced while enrolled in Wallace State’s Fast Track for Industry program.
“Fast Track for Industry is a great program that allows high school juniors and seniors to complete high school courses and college courses at the same time. When I graduate from high school I will also be ready for the workforce. It allows me to get a jump on my career,” said Grattan, who plans to be a nurse practitioner. “Before learning about this program I really didn’t have much planned for myself. High school was a breeze. I was just going through the motions.”
Added Grattan about the Fast Track for Industry program: “In the Medical Assisting Program, I am only on campus 2 1/2 days a week. It is up to me to make sure I spend the other 2 1/2 days actually completing my assignments or studying to make sure I don’t get behind in my classes whereas in high school, you do a lot of your studying and assignments during class time. The level of responsibility is so much greater, but I feel my experiences at Wallace State will better prepare me for what it’s like in the real world.”
Governor Robert Bentley and ACCS Chancellor Dr. Mark Heinrich also addressed the crowd. Wallace State’s Horticulture/Agricultural Production Department supplied the ferns complementing the podium on the Alabama State Archives and History Building steps.
Before the House and Senate went into session for the day, Senator Paul Bussman and Representatives Randall Shedd and Corey Harbison invited Wallace State students to join them for meetings during which they discussed the legislative process and answered questions from students.
Students then visited the House gallery to watch the start of the session, and their attendance was recognized from the floor. For many students, it was their first opportunity to visit the Capitol.
For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.
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Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8443 direct
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu
Kristen Holmes
Communications & Marketing Director, and
Administrator, The Evelyn Burrow Museum
Wallace State Community College
801 Main Street NW | Hanceville, AL 35077
E-mail: kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu
Office: 256.352.8118 | Cell: 256.339.2519 | Toll Free: 866.350.9722