Alumni
Twenty years after the first cohort of Golden LEAF Scholars received their awards, our community now includes several thousand alumni. These individuals are leaders all over the state of North Carolina, living out the values of the Golden LEAF Scholarship as teachers, bankers, doctors, lawyers, consultants, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and more. They remain a vibrant and committed group of individuals who significantly contribute to North Carolina’s rural communities.
By Emma Godwin, Golden LEAF External Affairs Intern
Golden LEAF Scholar Alumnus Jeffrey Wilkins grew up in the small town of Micro located in Johnston County, where no one was a stranger.
“Growing up in Micro was very rural and quiet,” said Wilkins. “We lived next to a farm. It was the kind of place you rode bikes and played outside. I was a bike ride away from downtown Micro, in a town where you know everybody.”
His roots in a rural area and his respect for his hard-working family helped him choose his career path and major for college.
“I chose the path I am currently on because my dad worked on construction his whole life,” said Wilkins. “He was a foreman/superintendent, and he told me to be ‘smarter than he was and stay out of the physical aspect of construction’. He was the one who guided me to Civil Engineering.”
Wilkins researched colleges to see which ones were the best for Engineering majors and found that NC State was one of the top engineering colleges in the country.
Read more about Wilkins here.
ScholarsConnect
ScholarsConnect is our exclusive Golden LEAF Scholarship Portal. This platform is a space to:
- Connect current and alumni Golden LEAF Scholars through networking and mentorship,
- Share events of interests, jobs, opportunities, and resources, and
- Drive engagement, participation, and idea sharing to advance our mission of increasing opportunities in rural North Carolina.