Aiden MacQueen is a dual-enrolled student who has a passion for engineering.

Aiden is a member of the Central Piedmont Student Ambassador program, where he has been awarded a scholarship. In addition to covering fees, books, and courses, the scholarship has allowed him to pursue his passions early on. He is also an avid member of both the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the Delta Alpha Pi honor society. Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for two-year colleges that recognizes excellence, hard work, leadership, and civic engagement. Delta Alpha Pi is an honor society that recognizes excellence and academic achievement in students with disabilities.

In terms of his future career goals, Aiden considers Central Piedmont’s experience invaluable. He has encountered many amazing faculty and staff members who make it their goal to put you on a path to success. Every person, from the librarians at Levine campus to the Engineering lab staff at Central campus, has been extremely helpful to Aiden and everyone around him.

Central Piedmont has introduced Aiden to a great sense of community and belonging. Aiden has been able to improve his studying skills simply by utilizing the study spaces around campus. “The school’s environment is conducive to learning, and I feel like I can really focus on my studies here. In addition to 3D printers and lab equipment, I have access to a number of tools that are not available elsewhere in the community,” explains Aiden.

Aiden believes the campuses were designed with students in mind, and he has had the opportunity to take a variety of engineering courses through his dual-enrollment pathway. “I enjoy the applied nature of engineering. I like working on a project and seeing it through to completion, and I love the feeling of seeing what the final product will look like. Proving to myself that I am capable of bringing a new idea into the world is one of the best feelings I have felt, and engineers seem to be dedicated to chasing that same feeling,” says Aiden.

Aiden’s advice to future Central Piedmont students: “Use the tools available to you. The staff at CPCC are dedicated to helping students succeed, and all the students need to do is ask. The librarians and student services here have been incredibly kind and helpful to me. They have helped me revise multiple research papers and have made sure I have always had access to what I needed to succeed. Even the instructors share this dedication, as they have office hours where they dedicate their time to answering questions from students that drop by. I would not have gotten as far as I have without the support I received from the staff who care about my success. People treat you like a human being rather than a number, and you really see that when you engage with the school community.”

First-generation college student Jorge Mato Frontela is originally from Havana, Cuba. Moving from Cuba to avoid violent events, Jorge arrived in the United States a year ago. “Despite the events in my homeland, my willingness to achieve my goals remained unaltered,” says Jorge. Before coming to America, Jorge was in the middle of completing a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Havana.

It wasn’t by chance that Jorge’s passion for helping people with cancer developed. As a young child he would accompany his mother at work where he would see patients getting treated for cancer. “After participating in the State and National Chemistry Contests in Cuba, I realized I could use my abilities to help people with cancer,” Jorge explains.

As an active member of several campus organizations, Jorge belongs to the Conexion Latinx Club, Rotaract Club, and Phi Theta Kappa. In addition to his membership in those organizations, Jorge is a tutor for the Academic Learning Center for Chemistry classes. Wait, there’s more; Jorge is also an avid volunteer for the American Red Cross, where he leads fundraising campaigns and assists other blood drives.

Jorge is not only an active member of the community, but he has also been awarded many scholarships to support his education, including the Bank of America Endowed Scholarship, Barnes & Noble Scholarship for books, and the Levine Scholarship. “These scholarships have allowed me to put more effort into my studies and student life by alleviating my financial stress and helping me overcome the economic barrier to higher education,” Jorge says.