Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Leticia Samuels | Graduates of class 44 of the North Carolina Tar heel Challenge Academy switch their...... read more read more
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CLINTON, N.C. - Graduates of Class 44 completed the 22-week resident Tar Heel Challenge Academy program and celebrated joyously during their graduation ceremony at the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center here, June 12, 2015.
“This is the happiest day of my life every time my parents told me they were proud of me, I never really believed it until now,” said Nathaniel Wilson, Class 44 Tar Heel Challenge Academy honor graduate. “I felt like I would never accomplish something, now I have something to be proud of.”
During the 22-week course, cadets obtain a wide range of skills and obtain certifications that will be used in the next chapter of their life. During this particular class, 43 cadets earned their General Educational Development (GED), 31 took their Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), 55 earned their Career Readiness Certificates, a portable credential that demonstrates achievement and a certain level of workplace employability skills. Class 44 completed 8,303 hours of community service in various fundraisers and campaigns, and 100 percent of cadets improved their overall academic achievement by at least one level.
“Every last cadet that I have encountered in my experience, are all survivors,” said Retired Col. Edward Timmons, director of Tar Heel Challenge Academy. “There is no one else that has an academy of this magnitude or structure in order to do that and I believe our 21 years of service speaks to the record and speaks volumes to others.”
The Tar Heel Challenge Academy has existed for 21 years and is sponsored by the North Carolina National Guard. Its unique quasi-military structure instills at risk teens with life skills while focusing on academics, physical training, self-discipline, teamwork, leadership, team building, work ethics, service to community, respect for others, self-esteem, loyalty and integrity.
“The mission of Tar heel Challenge is to train, teach, educate, and graduate 16-to-18-year-olds within the state of North Carolina and help them redirect their lives and ultimately provide a second chance or second opportunity,” said Timmons.
Parents observed in the audience as Timmons and guest speaker Dr. Paul Hutchins gave words of inspiration describing the path they etched out for themselves and illustrated to the parents how hard their children strived to complete this program.
“We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way, we cannot change the inevitable, the only thing we can do is to play that one string that we have and that string is our attitude,” said Hutchins. “I am convinced that life is 10 percent of what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react.”
Although this program is built for students to redeem themselves for mistakes they made in their past, this program also helps to build confidence, character and arms cadets with the tools needed to battle everyday pressures that youth face today.
“I suffered from a lot of depression and anxiety and bullying in high school and eventually I just stopped going,” said Wilson “I have gained so much, I gained my GED, I’ve got a scholarship to college, and I’ve lost 64 pounds.”
Once students finish the 22-week resident course, a 12-month mentoring phase begins. During this phase of the program, graduates are assigned a volunteer mentor whose primary role is to assist the graduate in continuing on the path they started in the residence phase. The mentor also provides advice, companionship, and guidance on seeking employment or enrolling into college.
“We must stand strong and resist the temptation to fall back into the darkness that led us here,” said Wilson. “We have conquered a true challenge, the Tar heel Challenge!”
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2015 11:21 |
| Story ID: | 166796 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 2,234 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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