Alumni
Twenty-five 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.
Alumni Spotlight: Naziera Staton
By Kaitlyn Parker, Golden LEAF External Affairs Intern
Golden LEAF Scholar Alumna Naziera Staton grew up in New Bern in Craven County. As a self-motivated individual, she always knew that she wanted to go to college.
“Growing up, for me, was very rural, very low income,” said Staton. “The trajectory was usually high school to workforce or trades. You could only go to college if you had enough financial assistance and push to do it. I was very self-motivated to do something different.”
Strong mentorship throughout Staton’s schooling significantly impacted her drive to attend college. In elementary school it was her librarian and in middle and high school it was the teachers who taught her to study, write, and most importantly, prepare for college. Staton graduated from East Carolina University where she earned both a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and master’s degree in Social Work.
She shared that her mentors made her into the person she is today.
Read more about Staton here.
Alumni Spotlight: Evelyn Trejo
Growing up in a small rural community in Wayne County shaped Evelyn Trejo’s values and sense of connection early on.
“Everybody knew each other,” she said. “I loved that about where I grew up. I definitely prefer the smaller town.”
That appreciation for close-knit communities has guided Trejo through her education and into her career. She graduated this year from the University of Mount Olive with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, though her path wasn’t always clear.
“I was uncertain about what I wanted to do after graduation,” she said. “I was considering speech-language pathology or social work.”
A class project helped her realize social work was the better fit.
Financial concerns were also top of mind. Raised by a single mother in a low-income household, Trejo worried about how she would afford college.
“My biggest worry in high school was how I was going to pay for college,” she said. “I didn’t want to put that financial hardship on my mom.”
Read more about Trejo here.
Alumni Spotlight: Jeffrey Wilkins
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.
Alumni Spotlight: Sydney Coe
By Emma Godwin, Golden LEAF External Affairs Intern
Golden LEAF Scholar Alumna Sydney Coe grew up in Siloam, North Carolina, a small community in Surry County where she now teaches third grade at Dobson Elementary School. A proud product of rural North Carolina, Coe says coming back home after college was always part of her plan.
“I grew up in Siloam,” said Coe. “I have a lot of roots there and I wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to me and made me who I am today.”
Coe began her higher education journey at Surry Community College, earning her associate degree before transferring to Appalachian State University, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She says she always knew she wanted to attend Appalachian, following in the footsteps of her mother, a retired teacher and fellow App State graduate.
“It was kind of a full-circle moment,” said Coe. “I went to the same college where my mom became a teacher, and later we even taught at the same school for a few years.”
Read more about Coe 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.