Faculty member earns honor, serves as role model to students

Halifax Community College (HCC) History Instructor/Department Chair Shaun A. Stokes received special recognition last year. He was named the 2007 National Council on Black American Affairs’ North Carolina State Chapter Teacher of the Year. A graduate of Norfolk State University, Stokes holds a bachelor’s degree in history. He earned a master’s in history from North Carolina Central University.

Regarding the award, HCC President, Dr. Ervin V. Griffin, Sr. said at the time, “Professor Stokes is a young and dynamic professor of history, who by his very presence serves as a role model for all students… He is a successful African American male who thrives in the academy and contributes mightily to the teaching and learning process at HCC.”

Stokes has served as a father figure, friend, counselor, advisor and a positive role model for many students. Involved in mentoring African American students, Stokes has participated in the “Go To High School, Go to College” program, which steers young African American males from the streets to scholarship. He currently serves as president and board member of the Men of Distinction male mentoring group at HCC and has served as host for student activities such as Constitution Day and the Black History Month Celebration. He also serves as faculty advisor for Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.

“You’ve got to have a good steady mind and be willing to stick with it.”

Irene Richardson decided to pursue a GED in 1998. She started out attending classes at a gospel clinic, then the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Complex. The last class site was located at her church, White Rock Baptist, so she could walk a short distance from home to work on her studies. Residing in Hollister, Richardson graduated with a GED from HCC this May.

“It was a challenge for me to make sure that I could do it,” she said. “So many people have dropped out of school. If they would just stop and think about what’s going to happen in the long run. The ways things are going, if you don’t have some sort of education, they’re not going to be able to do anything.”

Richardson worked for 10 years to earn her credential. She credited the instructors and her friends with helping her persist. Three or four times, she lacked only 60 points of passing the exam, but she was determined to finish. The wife and mother of five adult children and six grandchildren celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary on August 31.
“You’ve got to have a good steady mind and be willing to stick with it.” She recommended the experience and said it was convenient to attend class. While working on her GED, Richardson also worked in the home health field. She is now retired.