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.

Vivian Asare is first-generation adult learner from Ghana, country of Western Africa. She decided to attend Central Piedmont to fulfill her dreams of becoming a nurse.

Originally attending Central Piedmont in 2000, she had to put her academic journey on hold to give birth to twins and to focus on raising them. Vivian’s family loves Central Piedmont. Her twins both attended the Middle College program along with her 16-year-old who currently attends at the Cato Campus.

After her oldest two children graduated from high school, they insisted that their mother return to school to pursue her dreams. “Caring for others has always been at the core of my life, so I felt the need to pursue my passions so I can better advocate for my special needs son and others just like him,” says Vivian.

Central Piedmont’s culture of inclusion and diversity is one of Vivian’s favorite aspects of attending here. “My class schedule is flexible at the college, which I appreciate. In addition, all campuses are well equipped with a variety of resources that are available to all students,” explains Vivian. Vivian felt supported even being a non-traditional college student who has been away from school for 20 years. From the moment she arrived back on campus, she fit right in with both younger and older students.

Advice for other Central Piedmont students: “It is not too late to start over. Central Piedmont has all of the resources to help you achieve your goals. If time is your problem, they have flexible schedules. If money is your problem, they have a vast number of scholarships and financial aid available. If transportation is your problem, campuses have bus routes. Finally, if studying is your problem, Central Piedmont has an insane amount of academic support to guide you through your struggles.”

Melissa Lopez, a non-traditional adult learner, is studying Criminal Justice Technology at Central Piedmont. Melissa came from Venezuela with her parents and three brothers when she was just 6 years old. Coming from another country, her parents instilled in them that learning English and getting an education was important.

The flexibility of creating her own schedule made Central Piedmont an obvious choice for Melissa. “Being a full-time business owner and a mom, convenience was important to me. I have been able to set my own schedule while working on assignments and that has been a game changer for me,” explains Melissa. Melissa’s education goals are to transfer to a 4-year institution and pursue her bachelor’s degree in social work and to minor in Spanish and Criminal Justice at the end of this semester.

In the year 2020, Melissa and her family overcame a life-changing and traumatic event together. This event altered the dynamic of the family and was very hard to adjust to. “Everything that I have accomplished has been only by the grace of God. It has been through tears, sadness and in some instances, brokenness, but God sustained me through it all and he showed me my worth and that there is no one or anything above him,” says Melissa.