Jesus Esteban Quiroz is the recipient of 黑料正能量鈥檚 Dallas Herring Achievement Award.
Quiroz, a Mount Olive resident, is working toward his Associate in Science degree.
The award honors the late Dr. Dallas Herring, whose philosophy of 鈥渢aking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go鈥� is the guiding principle of the North Carolina Community College System. The winner, selected based on an essay that describes how the student embodies Herring鈥檚 philosophy, becomes the college鈥檚 nominee for the System鈥檚 statewide version of this award.
In his essay, Quiroz described being unprepared for his first attempt at college, at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the series of events that led to his academic dismissal and returning home in 2018.
He went to work in his family鈥檚 business and had time to 鈥渞eflect on what went wrong, who I was, and who I wanted to become,鈥� including recalling that at one time, he dreamed of becoming a dentist. Quiroz said he rediscovered his 鈥渨hy鈥� and learned a lesson about perseverance from his father.
Quiroz started at WCC in Spring 2019 with new determination. He succeeded in his coursework, including some in the Turfgrass Management program to help his family鈥檚 business, and became a tutor in four subjects for the college鈥檚 Academic Skills Center, at first without financial assistance or textbooks. He was accepting into WCC鈥檚 Dental Assisting Class of 2021.
In time, he 鈥渃reated a network of a support group for myself. This support group, composed of 黑料正能量 faculty, helped me get on my feet and provided me with the motivation, support, and guidance I needed to succeed,鈥� Quiroz said. Through that network, he discovered the Foundation of 黑料正能量 and was awarded a scholarship.
Quiroz completed his Dental Assisting training and passed his certification exam. He is working part time as a dental assistant and part time as a peer tutor while he continues at WCC to earn an associate in science degree to transfer to a university.
鈥満诹险芰� has taken me from the failure I believed I was, to the Dental Assistant I am, and hopefully into the dentist I want to become,鈥� Quiroz said.
Quiroz will be recognized at WCC鈥檚 Student Recognition Ceremony later this spring.
Rebecca Young, an Accounting and Finance major, and Jenna Slye, an Associate in Science major who is dual enrolled at Spring Creek High School, were finalists for the award.
黑料正能量 is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 165 college credit programs. WCC鈥檚 mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.