Sellers Using Aspire Appalachian to Become a Mountaineer

March 11, 2025 - Richmond Community College student Alyssa Sellers was recently accepted into the Aspire Appalachian Program, which means she has guaranteed admission to Appalachian State University for the 2026 fall semester.
Aspire Appalachian is a seamless pathway for students enrolled at RichmondCC to complete their degree at App State. Students participating will receive dedicated advising assistance from both RichmondCC and Appalachian State University, and access to special webinars, events, and newsletters.

“Originally I learned about Aspire Appalachian through the RichmondCC Connects, which is the college’s newspaper,” Alyssa said. “There was a story about a student who had attended RichmondCC and was accepted into the Aspire Appalachian program.”

Alyssa attends RichmondCC through the Richmond Early College High School (REaCH) program. She will graduate in 2027 with an Associate in Arts degree from RichmondCC, as well as her high school diploma. Alyssa is planning to continue her education, and App State is one of her top choices for completing her bachelor’s degree, so Aspire Appalachian seemed like the perfect opportunity for her.

“I spoke with my advisor about the program so I could get more information, and then I went to their website and filled out the intent form. They process was very easy,” Alyssa said.

At App State, she plans to major in psychology, with a possible minor in Spanish and business.

“Then, hopefully, I will attend the school’s Doctor of Psychology program to obtain my master’s and doctorate degrees,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa’ career goal is to become a licensed clinical psychologist and an adjunct professor of psychology.

“The minimum time this would take is nine years: four years for my bachelor’s degree and five years for the doctorate degree,” Alyssa said. “That requires an extensive amount of time and money. However, as an Early College student, two entire years are shaved off of that, which also means it will cost less money. I am very appreciative of how Richmond Community College has helped me begin my educational journey.”

Aspire Appalachian is one of 11 coadmissions programs that RichmondCC has to offer students. The others are:

• UNC- Chapel Hill (C-STEP)
• East Carolina University (Pirate Promise)
• NC State University (C3)
• NC A&T State University (Aggie Plus Program)
• UNC-Pembroke (BraveStep)
• UNC-Wilmington (PathWays)
• Gardner-Webb University (Bulldog Bound)
• Lees-McRae University (GAP)
• Pfeiffer University (Pfeiffer Pact)
• Wingate University (Gateway Scholarship)

To learn more, contact the Career & Transfer Advising Center at (910) 410-1700 or visit the Scotland County or Hamlet Campus.