Northwest celebrates first C2C graduate

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SENATOBIA, MS (10/03/2017) Franchesca Ramsey of Horn Lake has become the first Northwest Mississippi Community College student to earn her Associate of Arts degree through the state's new "Complete 2 Compete" (C2C) program, according to college officials.

According to their website, C2C is a statewide program sponsored by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board. Its mission is to help Mississippi adults who attended college but don't have a degree get their degree and create a brighter future.

Ramsey, who is originally from Coldwater, graduated from Coldwater High School in 2004. She attended Northwest from 2004-2006 on the Senatobia campus, studying journalism and communications, but did not complete her degree at that time.

"I took some time off to help my mom, who is a single mother and my hero. I decided to return to school after being out for many years," Ramsey said.

Ramsey's mother, Quince Ramsey Gordon was also proud of her daughter's success. "I am so proud of her, and she has been such an inspiration to me," Gordon said.

Ramsey attended Northwest part time at the DeSoto Center from 2013-2016. She had changed her pathway to computer information systems at that time. "I was still working full time and trying to take some classes to finally finish," Ramsey said. She tried to re-enroll in the summer, but was told by an adviser that she needed one last class.

"I started looking into my records and checking on what I might owe. I realized I owed some tuition, so I paid that off, but missed the deadline to enroll in the class. I was looking around online when I discovered the C2C, so I submitted my information and here I am," Ramsey said.

Persons who are interested in pursuing the C2C program should visit www.msc2c.org to access the C2C Pathfinder, an easy-to-use, interactive tool developed exclusively for the state of Mississippi. "It will help you understand how close you are to a degree and provide the best pathway for you to get that degree. It can be accessed on your home computer, laptop, or smartphone. By answering a few questions, you begin the process of reviewing past credits and connecting with a C2C coach. You may be one of more than 30,000 Mississippians who have already earned enough credits for an associate or bachelor's degree. If you are short of a degree, your C2C coach will help you maximize your previous experiences and earned credits and determine how close you now are to a degree," according to the C2C website.

Northwest President, Dr. Gary Lee Spears was on hand to congratulate Ramsey on her achievement. "I am so pleased with the work our administrative staff people have done to facilitate the completion of graduation under the C2C program. Congratulations to Franchesca Ramsey for her commitment to seeing the process got finished," Dr. Spears said.

"I am very excited to be the first one at Northwest to do it. I am just ecstatic about it and I thank God for it," Ramsey said.

For more information about the C2C, visit www.msc2c.org. For more information about Northwest, visit the college's website at northwestms.edu.

Pictured: Franchesca Ramsey of Horn Lake (center) was the first Northwest Mississippi Community College student to receive her degree through the state's new "Complete 2 Compete" (C2C) program. Congratulating Ramsey are (l-r) Aime Anderson, registrar; Northwest President, Dr. Gary Lee Spears; Jere Herrington, director of Recruiting, and C2C coach and Richie Lawson, vice president for Education. (Photo by LaJuan Tallo)