Helene Recovery
A-B Tech Aviation Instructor Recounts Saving Dozens From The Roof Of Unicoi County Hospital
September 22, 2025 In this news clip from WCYB News 5, Jeffrey Bush, a full-time aviation instructor at A-B Tech, shares his experience as part of a team that rescued dozens of people trapped on the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, after Hurricane Helene.
Trailblazer Success: Adult High School Graduate Angie McGee Finally Made It
September 11, 2025 When Angie McGee was a senior in high school, a few classes away from graduating, she got pregnant with her first child. Lacking support from her mother, McGee had trouble keeping up with her studies and was forced to drop out of school.
Hurricane Helene: Six Months of Recovery
June 10, 2025 A-B Tech and our community experienced a life-altering natural disaster when Hurricane Helene devastated the area on September 27, 2024. Our video captures the impacts on our students, employees, and community, as well as how the college responded.
Swannanoa Sisterhood: Graduating Student-Inmates Reflect On Life After Helene
May 31, 2025 Asheville, N.C. — When Tropical Storm Helene hit Swannanoa, the lives of the A-B Tech students incarcerated at Western Correctional Center for Women were turned upside down.
A-B Tech Featured in EducationNC "Running Towards Disaster" Podcast
May 23, 2025 Hurricane Helene came into North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, changing the lives and landscape of western North Carolina. Water records were broken, rivers changed course, and many people were at a loss, without words to describe what had just happened, but not at a loss for what to do.
A-B Tech Celebrates 2025 Commencement on May 10
May 9, 2025 NC Governor Josh Stein will deliver remarks at A-B Tech Community College’s 2025 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville.
Culinary Alum Roman Nourse Presented with A-B Tech’s ‘You Make a Difference’ Award
May 1, 2025 In the weeks following Helene, A-B Tech alum Roman Nourse took the words “food runner” to a new level. The energetic sous chef, who works at Givens Estate, put his culinary and project management skills to use by acting as a volunteer chef, project manager, and delivery driver for organizations providing food to those in need.
Open Heart, Helping Hands: Student Kari Richmond Gains Valuable Experience at Medical Shelter
April 11, 2025 Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) student Kari Richmond has spent the last three-and-a-half years learning how to care for people with cognitive and physical challenges.
Construction Student Joe Cipollina Uses New Skills to Help Displaced Marshall Residents
April 9, 2025 Hurricane Helene left Asheville and the surrounding areas ravaged, but it also provided A-B Tech construction students an opportunity to test new skills in the community.
A-B Tech Student Katie McMullen Recognized as One of USA Today’s Women of the Year
April 2, 2025 At 5’5” and 110 pounds, Katie McMullen does not register as a powerful woman at first glance. But the 38-year-old A-B Tech student has recently been recognized by USA Today as one of 61 “Women of the Year” for her work running a disaster distribution center on her front lawn.