Newton Wins Academic Excellence Award at RichmondCC

Richmond Community College student Jacob Newton of Hamlet received the Academic Excellence Award for 2016.

The Academic Excellence Award is designed to recognize the outstanding academic achievements of students in the community college system.

Newton, a shy homeschooled student, enrolled at RichmondCC in fall 2014.

“When I first came to Richmond Community College, my future felt uncertain. I was reluctant to return to a classroom setting after being homeschooled and self-taught for more than five years,” Newton, 20, said. “I wasn’t sure how well I’d do, and I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my abilities. I didn’t know what classes to take or what to work toward.”

Counselors and college advisors helped this directionless young man define his educational path, and he has since completed an Associate in Arts degree and is working toward completing the Therapeutic and Diagnostic Services program.

Newton has been enrolled at RichmondCC for five semesters, and he has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average each semester.

“I’m taking 21 credit hours and tutoring 20 hours per week in the Academic Success Center,” Newton said. “I didn’t expect to do so well in any aspect of my life, but now I realize that the only thing standing in my way was my own expectation that I would fail. Once my drive to succeed overtook my fear of failure, nothing could stand in my way.”

Newton’s plans to pursue a career in healthcare. His goal is to become a pediatrician because he really enjoys working with children.

“I love helping people and I can't imagine anything more enjoyable and fulfilling than doing so for a living,” he said.

“I understand that not everyone has the same chances that I’ve had. But that’s why it’s even more important to use what you’ve been given as best as you can,” Newton added. “I’ve worked hard to make sure that my opportunity to better myself doesn’t go to waste, and I hope someday I can inspire others to do the same.”