"I am very thankful and excited. This came at just the right time. It is an honor to be a part of HCC. I am so thankful for all of the support I have received," said Martinez.

In 2004, Martinez received his GED from HCC. After that, he enrolled as a curriculum student and currently has a 3.777 average in all coursework that he has taken at the college. He will soon graduate from HCC with an Associate in Arts degree and he plans to enroll in ECU’s Teacher Prep Program.

"This is another example of the quality of our academic programs and our students. It shows that you can start at HCC and go anywhere in the world with your dreams. Rodrigo getting this scholarship shows that the quality of our programs and our students can compete anywhere in North Carolina," said HCC President, Dr. Ervin V. Griffin, Sr. "He is an example to anyone that dreams can become reality. Congratulations to him on his hard work and for being aggressive enough to go after this scholarship."

The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, Inc., the North Carolina General Assembly and Bank of America have contributed more than $2 million to establish an endowment within the North Carolina Community College Foundation to support an expanded role for community colleges in teacher preparation. The endowment funds an annual grant program that provides scholarships for prospective teachers who are enrolled in community college degree programs tied to baccalaureate completion programs.

Scholarship awards for the 2007-2008 academic year were awarded to students who are enrolled full-time in their first or second year of a community college degree program. Students must also be enrolled in a program that is transferable to a bachelor’s degree in elementary or secondary education. An award of $2,500 per semester for two consecutive semesters of full-time study was awarded.