Philip Cooper, A-B Tech’s UpSkill WNC Coordinator and Career Navigator, received the Adult Service Award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. He was given the award by Oralene Simmons, the founder of the association during the Candlelight Service, which honors area citizens and organizations that have dedicated themselves to the cause of social justice.
Nominees for the award must embody the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., maintain consistent involvement, inspire others and act as a role model, and make a positive impact on the director and success of community projects, programs, or individuals.
“One of the things that makes Philip so successful is his personal story,” said nominator Michael Dempsey, Dean and Director of the Center for Graduates Students of Asheville for Lenoir Rhyne University. “He began selling drugs as a teenager growing up in Asheville, and was eventually convicted of trafficking, for which he served a prison term from 2008 to 2011. In his role at A-B Tech, Cooper mentors about 30 clients, helping them with resumes and job coaching, and by keeping them on track for a successful transition back into mainstream society.”
This year, the UpSkill WNC program won the Workforce Development Award from the Community Colleges of Appalachia Association. Both Cooper and his Madison County-based colleague Joyce Robinson were recognized for the work they are doing in connecting transitioning individuals to educational opportunities and employment. In addition, he recently presented "A Fresh Start in Life" as the opening session of the Community Colleges of Appalachia fall conference in Hazard, Ky.