Thirteen Honored at Medical Assisting Pinning
Vance-Granville Community College held a pinning ceremony for its Medical Assisting program graduates on August 4 at the Franklin County Campus in Louisburg, where the program is conducted. The ceremony also marked a homecoming of sorts for guest speaker Glenn Grady. Grady was the first head of the Medical Assisting program at VGCC from 1998 to 2000.
The thirteen graduates were: Jill Allen, Anissa Burchette and LaSonya Glover, all of Franklinton; Patrice Allen and Priscilla Allen, both of Creedmoor; Amy Beanblossom and Jennifer Merrell of Oxford; Elaine Beckwith, Cynthia Bullock and Arlene Ratcliff, all of Henderson; Jeaneque Green of Manson; Barbara Hughes of Bullock; and Janet Land of Louisburg.
After an invocation by Franklin County Campus Assistant Director Anthony Pope, VGCC President Randy Parker welcomed the graduates and offered some facts about them. All 13 are female, he said, seven of whom are married. The students have a total of 18 children, four step-children, and ten grandchildren among them. Parker commended three for maintaining full-time jobs while in the program over the past year. Twelve graduates are planning to return to VGCC this fall to work toward an Associate degree. At least three have been offered part-time jobs at their externship sites, where they trained this summer.
Grady, currently Department Chair for Allied Health at Miller-Motte Technical College in Wilmington, emphasized the importance of having a positive attitude, both in obtaining a job, and in succeeding in any job. Grady is the president of the North Carolina Society of Medical Assistants and a former president of the American Association of Medical Assistants, which he currently serves as secretary.
Above: Medical Assisting program graduates included (left to right), first row: Janet Land, Anissa Burchette, Barbara Hughes, Jennifer Merrell, Elaine Beckwith; second row: Jill Allen, Arlene Ratliff, Patrice Allen, Amy Beanblossom, LaSonya Glover (standing); back row: Priscilla Allen, Jeaneque Green, Cynthia Bullock (VGCC Photo).
