NCC Recognizes Academic Excellence Recipient

Jessica Avila of Zebulon is Nash Community College’s 2013-2014 Academic Excellence Award recipient. Each year, the Academic Excellence Award is presented to North Carolina community college students who exhibit outstanding scholastic achievements. The award represents the highest academic honor at Nash Community College.

Jessica Avila is an Associate in Science student maintaining a 4.0 overall grade point average. She plans to graduate in December 2014 and study Pharmaceutical Sciences at Campbell University. Avila is a first generation college student who aspires to obtain a Ph.D. in Biology with a concentration in a medical or animal conservation field.

At Nash Community College, Jessica Avila serves as a Spanish tutor, developmental mathematics tutor, public relations officer with Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, and secretary of the Math and Science Club. In 2013, she represented Nash Community College at the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) Student Leadership Development program. Avila is the recipient of the Nash Community College Board of Trustees Scholarship and AT&T Foundation Aspire Scholarship.

Avila has invested much of her time conducting research at the undergraduate level, and has attended five conferences to present her research to scientists throughout the southeastern United States. She won the third place award at the North Carolina Academy of Science. “I am an advocate for the North Carolina Community College System to develop a budget plan for undergraduate research and have submitted my intentions to the system President, Dr. Scott Ralls,” Avila said. “I believe it is important to be passionate about the career one chooses in order to perform the very best.”