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CEO Delivers Meaningful Message to Graduates During ECC’s Commencement

Built here. Now what?

“Built here. Now what?” That was the message delivered by Ron Green, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region, during �鶹��Ƶ���߹ۿ�’s commencement ceremony on Friday, May 8.

Green emphasized the role of community colleges in shaping students’ futures, telling graduates that being “built” at a community college carries meaning.

Tara Davis

“You see that word ‘community.’ It matters, because community colleges don’t just educate you. They elevate you,” Green said. “They don’t require perfection. They develop potential.”

Green, who has led the organization in the Tar River Region for 14 years, said he related to the graduates. He began his own academic journey at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, an experience he said gave him confidence.

“It taught me that my starting point didn’t define my ceiling,” he said. “Where I began didn’t limit where I could go.”

ECC awarded credentials to 553 graduates in the Class of 2026. The college conferred 207 degrees, 123 diplomas and 223 certificates. Another 55 students completed Adult High School Equivalency or Adult High School diplomas.

ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod encouraged graduates to continue advancing toward their goals.

Eddie Batchelor IV

“Whether your next step is transferring to a four-year institution, returning here for another credential, or applying the training you have received in your career or business, don’t stop moving. Keep going,” McLeod said.

Among the graduates was Tara Davis, ECC’s Academic Excellence Award recipient. Davis earned an associate degree in applied science in surgical technology with a 4.0 grade-point average and is already working as a surgical technology associate at the ECU Health Heart Institute Cardiovascular Operating Room.

Other honorees included Eddie Batchelor IV, recipient of the Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award, which recognizes exemplary student leadership. Batchelor, a student ambassador and member of Phi Theta Kappa, will continue his studies at North Carolina Wesleyan University this fall.

Erma Battle-Mills received the Dallas Herring Achievement Award, presented to a student who exemplifies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.” Battle-Mills earned her high school equivalency at age 76 and is enrolled in ECC’s digital navigator’s course.

Erma Battle-Mills

Three graduates were recognized for having the highest grade-point averages in their academic divisions: Alfredo Hernandez Garcia (Arts and Sciences), Ashley Culbertson (Business, Industry and Technologies) and Taylor Batts (Health Sciences).

Green closed his remarks by encouraging graduates to remember the childhood game rock, paper, scissors as a metaphor for navigating life’s challenges.

“When life looks at you and asks ‘now what?’ remember this,” he said. “The rock—find the person who will hold you down. The paper—keep sharpening your pencil because your story is still being written. Scissors—identify the people, places and things you need to cut out of your life to reach your dreams.”