Motivational speaker challenges VGCC students


Tawan Perry addresses VGCC students. (VGCC photo)

Tawan Perry addresses VGCC students. (VGCC photo)

Students at Vance-Granville Community College recently heard from motivational speaker Tawan Perry. His presentation on the college’s Main Campus was sponsored by the VGCC Male Mentoring Club and the Student Government Association.

A resident of Raleigh, Perry started his own higher education at a community college in Maryland before eventually earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees and becoming a nationally-known speaker and author focusing on college student success.

In a keynote address attended by a large number of VGCC students, including Vance County Early College High School students, Perry encouraged each student to develop a “plan of action,” or “blueprint.” He led them through an exercise in which each attendee wrote down their achievements to date, as well as what they hope to achieve in the future, when and why. “You have a specific purpose for being on this planet,” Perry encouraged the students. He noted that neither of his parents went to college, and students should appreciate all the opportunities they have today.

Perry went on to conduct a separate workshop on leadership, specifically designed for students who are student government leaders, club officers and student-athletes. “Student leadership involvement is fertilizer that will help you grow,” Perry explained. “Being a student leader will help you stand out and position you for success later.” The speaker noted that a student leader’s number one job is to connect their classmates to their campus community. “Your second job is to advocate for other students, but not to do everything for them, because they’re adults,” Perry said. He challenged all club leaders to demonstrate passion and excitement about their organizations.

Supported by a grant from the N.C. Community College System, the Male Mentoring initiative at VGCC supports the educational and professional aspirations of male students through an active, intensive, and engaging process of academic coaching and case management. The goals of the program are to keep participating students in school, to increase their graduation rate and to increase their rate of transferring to four-year colleges and universities. For more information on the mentoring program, contact Anthony Pope at popea@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3395, or Greg Nash at nashg@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3305.

For more information on student activities and SGA at VGCC, contact Jeffrey Allen, Director of Student Activities and Athletics, at (252) 738-3405.