FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DCC STUDENTS AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO PURSUE TEACHING CAREERS

Roxanne Shook	Dustin Meeks	Timothy Giles

DANVILLE, VA, May 4, 2007 – Three Danville Community College students were honored with $2,000

 Higher Education Teacher Assistance Program (HETAP) scholarships. They are Dustin Meeks, Dry Fork; Roxanne Shook, Danville; and Timothy Giles, Gretna; all are majoring in liberal arts.

The HETAP scholarship is a new program established by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must, among other requirements, (1) be a Virginia resident, enrolled full-time; (2) have intent to enroll in an eligible K-12 teacher preparation program; (3) demonstrate financial need; (4) have a cumulative college grade point average of at least 2.5; and (5) be nominated by a faculty member.

“I heard about the scholarship through Vickie Taylor (DCC Assistant Professor of Sociology). I found out that someone may be nominating me,” Shook says. “I figured a lot of students wanted this scholarship. The fact that I got it is really rewarding.”

Shook, Vice President of DCC’s Upsilon Phi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students, will graduate in May 2008. She enjoys working with children and youth activities at Williamson Memorial Presbyterian Church. Upon graduation from DCC, she plans to transfer to Averett University and earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education. Her career goal is to find a teaching position in the area, earn her master’s degree and seek an administrative spot in a school system.

She says her choice to attend DCC was influenced by her mother, Norma, who is a DCC graduate.

“I heard a lot of positive things about DCC’s faculty and decided to follow in my mother’s footsteps,” says Shook, who notes that her fiancé is also a DCC graduate.

Giles, the son of Debra Dolan and Joseph Giles, chose DCC because it is affordable. He plans to transfer to Radford University to earn a bachelor’s degree and later become a physical education teacher and baseball coach. The Gretna High School graduate is also a member of the DCC Knights Baseball Club Team.

“I’ve worked factory summer jobs and it’s been tough,” Giles admits. “I want to advance myself and have an impact on people by teaching. Just knowing I can better my future helped me strive to continue college, when otherwise I might not still be here.”

Meeks, the son of Don and Tammie Meeks, agrees with Giles. He will graduate from DCC in July and plans to transfer to Longwood University to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Education. His goal is to teach at a high school while pursuing a master’s degree.

Meeks, who works at Tightsqueeze Hardware, enjoys playing tennis, running, weight lifting and listening to music. He thanks his family for always encouraging him to strive to pursue his dream and is grateful that the HETAP scholarship can help him do so.

“I’m very appreciative to be awarded the scholarship,” says Meeks.” It is an honor to receive it because I want to become a teacher. This will most definitely help in funding my education at Longwood University.”