RichmondCC Puts First Student on C-STEP Path to Becoming a Tarheel

April 24, 2020 - Kimani Spruill is proudly wearing her brand new Carolina blue T-shirt, the one she received when she became the first Richmond Community College student to be accepted into the C-STEP co-admission program with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program, known as C-STEP, is a groundbreaking co-admission program that provides a pathway for high school and community college students to transfer into Carolina.

Spruill, who is enrolled in RichmondCC’s Associate in Arts program, will transfer to UNC in fall 2021 to earn a Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging. Her career plan is to become a radiology technician.

“I developed an interest in learning about the muscles and bones while taking Dr. Mirian Watts’ anatomy and physiology class at RichmondCC,” Spruill said. “I was planning on becoming a nursing student, but I soon learned that I was more in tune with the diagnosis and scientific side of health versus the caretaking part.”

Watts, who is an advisor for the C-STEP program, has helped Spruill route her career plan into radiology.

“UNC Chapel Hill is the only school locally to offer a bachelor’s degree in radiology, so when Kimani learned about C-STEP, she realized this is the way to go,” Watts said. “C-STEP provides her with guaranteed admission to Carolina.”

Perfect timing is how Kimani describes it.

“Not only is the program that I want to get into only offered at Carolina, I already wanted to go there,” she said.

Born in Scotland County, Kimani later moved to Durham, which is where she graduated high school. Before moving back to this area, she was working as a housing representative for Carolina’s graduate housing program and liked the school’s environment and the students she had met. Now she’s ready on the path to becoming a Tarheel herself.

About C-STEP

To participate, students first enroll in an associate’s degree program at a partner college, such as RichmondCC, and earn a 3.2 GPA on all required coursework. Students may then apply to the C-STEP program and, once all the required coursework is complete, transfer seamlessly to UNC-Chapel Hill as a junior.

The program provides C-STEP students with transition and support services, such as dedicated academic advising from the moment of enrollment at RichmondCC all the way to and through UNC-Chapel Hill. C-STEP students also receive mentoring and networking opportunities and special seminars to help them feel fully accepted, academically prepared and fully engaged in the UNC-Chapel Hill campus community.

Enrollment in C-STEP

RichmondCC students who are selected to participate in this program must be on the path to earning an Associate in Arts degree and must actively participate in the required UNC-Chapel Hill campus events within the C-STEP program. To apply a student must have earned less than 30 transferrable hours at the time of application and complete the online application with required documentation.

For RichmondCC students to qualify for and remain in the C-STEP program, they must meet several requirements to earn a place in Carolina’s College of Arts & Sciences:

• Maintain 3.2 GPA
• Abide by Carolina’s honor code
• Participate in C-STEP Programming
• Take 12-15 credit hours per semester (excluding summer) in a RichmondCC university transfer program
• Have regular meetings with the RichmondCC’s C-STEP advisor

RichmondCC students can apply in April and October. High school seniors can apply in April of their senior year. Go to www.richmondcc.edu/coadmission to find out more about the C-STEP Program. Interested students can also contact Dr. Mirian Watts, C-STEP advisor, at (910) 410-1823 or mwatts@richmondcc.edu.