Meghan McBride
On the evening of Saturday, July 29th, The Foundation of Southern Regional Technical College recognized the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award Winners during the foundation’s first annual Dueling Pianos event in Moultrie, Georgia. Those recognized were Phalyn Murphy, Jason Jacobs, and Meghan McBride. This week and in following weeks, this series of articles will introduce readers to the three distinguished alumni, who all began their careers as students at SRTC.
The standing-room-only crowd in the Ballroom of the Colquitt County Arts Center heard Meghan McBride’s inspiring story of overcoming odds and exceeding expectations, in her own words:
“A native of Moultrie, I attended Colquitt County High School, but dropped out after becoming pregnant with my second child at the age of 16. Realizing I was unemployable without a high school diploma, I enrolled in Moultrie Technical College to earn a GED, which I completed in 2000, just two weeks before my second child was born.
“The following Spring quarter, I enrolled at Moultrie Tech in the BAT/MAT diploma program to gain the skills necessary to find gainful employment, as I was a 17-year-old single mother of two babies. I have incredibly fond memories of my time at Moultrie Tech, chief among them the level of comfort I felt as a student there. At the encouragement of Linda Lofton, I joined Phi Beta Lambda, served as the chapter president, and competed in several competitions across the state. I graduated from MTC in 2002 with a 3.94 GPA. Immediately after graduation, I accepted a position at a local call center where, over the course of 4 years, I worked my way up to call center supervisor.”
“Having found confidence in my scholastic abilities from attending Moultrie Tech, I then attended ABAC to pursue an Associate’s degree while working full time in the call center. Graduating from ABAC in 2005, I then transferred to Valdosta State University where I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education (2007) and then a Master’s degree in History with a 3.96 GPA (2011).”
“Over the course of the last 10 years, I have taught history at various levels. I taught high school for 5 years before transitioning to my dream career in higher education. Currently, I am employed in Enrollment Management at Albany State University and as an adjunct history instructor at SRTC. I am also a doctoral candidate, pursing a degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Valdosta State University. Having earned a 4.0 GPA in my coursework, I successfully entered candidacy in August 2016. I was recently named the 2017 Outstanding Doctoral Student in the College of Education at VSU. I anticipate defending my dissertation and earning my doctorate in Spring 2018.”
“From GED to Ed.D., the skills I learned at Moultrie Tech have carried me through my educational and professional careers, and for that I am eternally grateful.”
As she accepted her award, Ms. McBride received a very well-earned standing ovation.
Any person who attended Southern Regional Technical College, Southwest Georgia Technical College, or Moultrie Technical College are invited to join SRTC’s Alumni Association. Please visit online at http://southernregional.edu/alumni-association, or call the Advancement Office at 229-225-3977 for more information.