DUBLIN – In today’s high-technology world, students are frequently encouraged to seek degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But many students are inclined to enjoy the humanities, possessing great interests and talents in writing, art, music, religion, philosophy, and history.
Bladen Community College transfer graduates Ingrid Bullard, Melissa Combs, and Levy Pait recently graduated from four-year universities with bachelor degrees in history, and are strategizing their futures with a commitment to the humanities. Ingrid Bullard graduated from Bladen Community College in 2015 with a college transfer degree. It was during her first semester with BCC history professor Cliff Tyndall that Ingrid decided she wanted to become a history major.
“While attending Bladen Community College,” she remarked, “I took all the history classes I could with Mr. Tyndall because I could understand the material. Mr. Tyndall is very enthusiastic about history,” she explained. “He makes history fun!”
While a student at Fayetteville State University, Ms. Bullard was president of the history club. She graduated this spring with her bachelor’s degree in history and has plans to begin a master’s degree program while she teaches history and social studies at the high school level. Her long-term goal is to teach history at the college level.
Melissa Combs graduated from Bladen Community College in 2014 with a college transfer degree, and in May, 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University.
“I took advantage of the wonderful classes that BCC has to offer,” stated Combs. But it was her experiences in history classes with instructor Cliff Tyndall that convinced Ms. Combs to major
in history. “History”, she said, “opened my eyes to a new world of wonder and information.” Because of her studies at BCC, Ms. Combs hopes “to inspire future generations of history
students by becoming a high school history teacher.”
In 2014, when student Levy Pait began his college career at BCC, like many freshmen college students, he was unsure about his academic path. However, his history classes at Bladen Community College were so engaging, he decided to major in history. In 2016, Mr. Pait graduated from Bladen Community College with a college transfer degree. In conversations with his academic advisor Mr. Ray Sheppard, Pait chose to attend the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where he majored in history, a decision that proved to be personally rewarding. In 2017, the university gifted Pait with the Max M. Weinstein History Scholarship. This spring, he graduated from UNC-P with a bachelor’s degree in history and plans to pursue a higher-level degree.
Bladen Community College professors Cliff Tyndall and Ray Sheppard teach history, government, geography, and religion classes both seated and online. This summer, Mr. Tyndall is teaching an online class in North Carolina history and Mr. Sheppard is teaching an online class in religion in America. In the fall, both instructors will be co-teaching Myths and Legends, along with other highly-engaging classes.
Bladen Community College offers two college transfer degrees, the associate of arts and the associate of science. Both degrees are part of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement with the University of North Carolina System and allow students to transfer seamlessly into most public universities in NC. BCC offers academic opportunities in all areas of studies. For more information about the history curriculum, contact Ray Sheppard at 910.879.5542. To speak with a counselor about creating your personal path to success, call 910.879.5500.
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