The 2017 Scholarship Luncheon, the 16th annual celebration of our Foundation student scholarship recipients, was held March 14 at the Crowne Plaza Expo Center. This very special and inspirational event provides an opportunity for our scholarship students to meet the individuals responsible for their particular scholarship in person over lunch, and for members of our College and community to hear from a few of our students and alumni. Despite the rather unwelcoming weather, College Advancement had a great crowd of almost 400 student scholarship recipients and other guests, including scholarship donors, A-B Tech Board of Trustees Members, Foundation Board Members, community members, elected officials, and A-B Tech staff and faculty.
During the program portion of the luncheon guests heard from scholarship recipient Bridget Cain. Bridget is a recipient of two scholarships this year: the Pathways Scholarship for second-year students who are in long-term recovery, and the Lavender Fund, established to assist single-parent students. Bridget shared her story of perseverance and success as a single mother of two who is not only excelling academically as a full-time student but also working full-time as a substance abuse counselor. Upon graduation in May, Bridget will be transferring to East Tennessee State to continue her studies in Human Services, with the ultimate goal of a Master's degree in Social Work.
In addition, they were pleased to welcome back some of our 2016 graduates. Shareka Scott, Tiffany Ellis, and Michelle Irwin each gave the crowd an update on their lives and careers since their graduation from A-B Tech. To close out the event, we had an inspirational talk from 2011 graduate and A-B Tech employee Marshay Proctor-Bates. While at A-B Tech, Marshay was the recipient of the Shapiro-Green Endowed Scholarship. She received a Bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University, and is currently working on her Master's degree. In addition to school, Marshay is the mother of two sets of twins, and an employee at A-B Tech, where she works as an Academic Advisor in the Transfer Advisor Center as well as teaches in our division of Academic Success.
