Williams Cited For Academic Excellence | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Danielle Williams, who is pursuing an associate in arts degree at Beaufort County Community College, has been chosen to receive the 2015 Academic Excellence Award at BCCC.

    Williams, of Blounts Creek, plans to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor's degree in social work after graduating from BCCC.

    The Academic Excellence Awards are offered annually to recognize and promote scholarship among the more than 750,000 students in the N.C. Community College System.

    Nominations for the award are based on a grade point average of 3.5 or better and a student's involvement on campus and in the community. Instructors within their academic divisions nominate the students.

    "Danielle Williams is an extremely dedicated and intelligent student," said Mathematics Instructor Zachary Matthews who nominated Williams for the award. "She actively participates in class and shows a real desire to learn. Each day, I see her working in the Mathematics Learning Lab for hours not just on my subject but her other math class as well. She is very bright, but she also puts in the time necessary to succeed."

    Williams is a graduate of Buena Regional High School in Buena, N.J. She is a volunteer with the Guardian Ad Litem Program and, with her husband, Bryan, is a foster parent to one child. She is the daughter of Diane Schell of Estell Manor, N.J., and the late Dan Schell.

    Williams said she was drawn to social work after her experience as a foster parent and her volunteer work with the Guardian Ad Litem Program.

    "Two years ago, my husband and I became licensed foster parents. Since then, we have fostered three children and have learned a great deal from each one," she said. "Through working with the amazing kids in foster care, I realized that I wanted to become a social worker."

    She holds a 3.8 grade point average at BCCC.

    "Beaufort County Community College has been a wonderful stepping stone to help me achieve my goals. I chose BCCC because of its affordability and small class sizes," she said. "I am so grateful to the staff and teachers who are always willing to help when it is needed."

    While at BCCC, Williams said she has enjoyed her sociology class, which has reinforced her career decision, and she has discovered a love of mathematics thanks to her work in the college's updated mathematics lab.

    Williams will be recognized at the upcoming Graduate Recognition Ceremony to be held on the BCCC campus in April.


Danielle Williams, Academic Excellence Award winner at Beaufort County Community College, works in the BCCC mathematics lab with Instructor Zachary Matthews who nominated Williams for the award.
    Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.