Contact:  Melissa Potter
July 21, 2006

MECC Student Receives Wallen’s Ridge Employee Fund Scholarship

The Mountain Empire Community College Foundation is pleased to announce that Brandon Thomas has been selected to receive the $1,000 Wallen’s Ridge State Prison Employees Fund scholarship for 2006-2007.  Thomas is a 2004 graduate of Ervinton High School, and will be continuing his studies in computer networking at MECC this fall.  He is the son of Kathy Thomas, who works in the Human Resources Office at the prison.

  “Mountain Empire Community College is very grateful to the employees of Wallen’s Ridge State Prison for creating this scholarship and for supporting students attending the college,” said MECC President Terry Suarez.  “We have an excellent relationship with Wallen’s Ridge, and many of our criminal justice program graduates are now employed there.”

“Our employees are the foundation of our agency and one of our values is to be supportive of them,” stated Wallen’s Ridge Warden David Robinson.  “This scholarship is an example of our values.  When we help our employees, we help our agency.”

(Front row, left to right) Kathy Thomas, Wallen’s Ridge Human Resources employee; Brandon Thomas, scholarship recipient; David Robinson, Wallen’s Ridge State Prison Warden; Velisa Stallard, Wallen’s Ridge State Prison Human Resources Officer

(Back row, left to right) Donna Stanley, Executive Director of MECC Foundation; Terrance E. Suarez, MECC President

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