2023SummerWarriorWEB

Goal Attained C areer STEP and ECCC

P repare I feacho for W orkforce

pleted 18 years total service at ECCC. He also participated on various committees including the Budget Committee. He completed a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. Evans began his employment in 2008 as a custodian and served 15 years on the college’s physical plant staff. He is a graduate of Newton High School. Reed began her employment at ECCC in 2011 as a Custodian and was later promoted to Custodian Lead Person. She completed 12 years total service. She is a graduate of Neshoba Central High School and earned a Certificate of Cosmetology from East Central Commu nity College. • • CDL program contact Scotty Russell at srussell@eccc.edu and for more infor mation on the Career STEP program, contact LeVar Robinson at 601-635 6430 or lrobinson@eccc.edu. November 4, 2022, Ifeacho accepted a job as a long-haul truck driver. “I highly recommend anyone who qualifies to look into the Career STEP program through East Central,” said If eacho. “Without opportunities such as this, I might not be where I am today.” To qualify for the Career STEP pro gram participants must be between the ages of 18-59, not be enrolled in high school, be enrolled in an approved program, have a household income not exceeding 200% of the federal poverty level, and complete the eligibility pro cess prior to the start of their respec tive course or program. For more information on ECCC’s

Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Mississippi College, men’s and women’s tennis coach at Lamar School and men’s and women’s tennis coach/teacher at Neshoba Central High School. She completed a bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State University and a mas ter’s degree from Mississippi College. Fox-Smith participated on various committees include Homecoming Com mittee; East Central Beauty Pageant Committee, Healthcare Advisory Coun cil, SACSCOC Quality Enhancement Plan Committee, Literacy Committee, and the Athletic Advisory Council. Gillis began his employment as an accountant in 2005 after serving as an accountant in private industry. He com • “I had a wonderful experience at East Central,” said Ifeacho. “My in structors were humble and taught me everything that I needed to know to be successful in this field and I am thank ful for opportunities like the Career STEP program that made this possible for myself and my family.” Upon completion of the program on participants are connected to train ing opportunities that lead to career pathways. Ifeacho was able to apply this program to ECCC’s truck driving program. East Central’s truck driving program, an eight-to-10-week program based in Philadelphia, preps students with the rules and regulations of driving with classroom training before progressing to on-course driving. Upon completion, students are fully prepared to enter straight into the workforce.

East Central Community College. Boler has participated in numer ous committee assignments including the Homecoming Halftime Committee, Budget Committee, Beauty Pageant Com mittee, EC Players Committee, and the Curriculum Committee. Her awards include Lamplighter for Excellence in Teaching; Academic In structor of the Year; Humanities Instruc tor of the Year; and a two-time William Winter Scholar. Fox Smith joined the ECCC staff as a psychology instructor in 2004 serv ing 19 years. She previously served as • Chibuzo Ifeacho, a student origi nally from Nigeria, has always had a goal of becoming a truck driver in life, and with the help of East Central Community College and the Southern Mississippi Planning & Development District’s Career STEP program, that dream is now a reality. “I’ve known that this is something that I’ve wanted to do with my life, and I am excited to have entered the workforce as quickly as I have,” said Ifeacho. The Southern Mississippi Planning & Development District’s Career Skills Training Education Pathways (STEP) Program is a workforce program that covers the cost of short-term (less than one year) training, such as workforce and career-technical education courses. Through partnerships with local com munity colleges, such as East Central, RETIREES – Continued from page 20

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