Lilesville native Albert Bennett said several years of working in industry and driving a truck had chiseled away at him until he was prepared to come to college.

After much urging from his wife, Mary, he decided to join her at Richmond Community College and pursue an associate in science degree.

“Today’s workforce and environment make you realize the importance of a college education in America in 2010. I was an athlete in high school and kept a ‘B’ average to be able to play, but wasn’t focused or tuned in to going to college. RCC has allowed me to exceed my own expectations for myself. I will graduate in May and transfer to N.C. State University this fall,” said Bennett, who was also accepted at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC A&T University.

“I chose N.C. State because I’m interested in their microbiology and biological processing majors. I’ve always been interested in science and how the body functions. When I was growing up, I liked taking things apart to see how they worked. I think the body is an amazing, complex machine. I want to go into medical research,” he said.

Bennett said the Minority Male Mentoring Program at RCC has been a great influence in his life and credits it for being a big part of his success.

“I just sat in on the first few sessions without getting involved, but soon joined and got James Chambers as a mentor. He is attending Gardner-Webb University. He told me to stay focused on my goal and don’t become disillusioned with college. He said to look at college as a job with graduation being a promotion,” he said.

RCC Counselor Thomas Tyson is the advisor for the program that focuses on increasing graduation and retention rates of minority males.

“Albert is the perfect example of the kind of student I would like to see other members of the program emulate. As president of the Minority Male Mentoring Program, Albert consistently recruited others to join. For his academic excellence and achievement, he has been selected as the college’s nominee for the Dallas Herring Achievement Award. Only one student from each college may compete for this award,” said Tyson.

Bennett said Tyson was “the grades man.”

“He kept saying that grades are the first thing a college is going to look at when you apply. He hammered into us that we should get the best grades we can. I feel pretty good about having an overall 3.6 grade point average. I made more ‘A’s’ than ‘B’s’ and considered a ‘C’ a virus,” he said.

Participants of the Male Mentoring Program began supporting each other and held discussions that put things into perspective for Bennett. He learned how to stay focused and to think beyond RCC, beyond a university, and into the future. When Bennett visited each of the colleges, he found everything he had been told in the mentoring program to be true.

“I went to the open houses and learned the essays you write are good, but you must have strong grades to be competitive. N.C. State has over 18,000 students applying for the 10,000 freshman slots. They only have a set number of transfer students they accept. I feel privileged to be selected and know it goes back to my grades,” he said.

Bennett gives God all the credit for his success.

“If not for Him, none of this would be possible. He gave me the ability and strength to accomplish the task that I faced,” he said.

Bennett encourages prospective students to set goals so they won’t fall victim to dropping out.

“Expect to learn. There are great instructors here who are going to teach you what you need to learn. I found they taught in ways I could visualize what they were saying and it stuck with me. You can build upon everything you learn. I’ve taken all of their advice to heart, too,” he said.

Cream rises to the top and Bennett was selected to serve as an RCC Ambassador who assists with registration, provides tours, helps recruit new students and serves as an usher at Cole Auditorium performances.

“I’ve had a wonderful experience at RCC. It’s a good school that is well run. I look forward to the future and know I’ll need to become even sharper to be successful at State. That’s my challenge and I’m prepared for it. I’ve got some great training and knowledge to carry with me up there,” he said.