MLK Jr. Service Awards honor GTCC people, groups who have made a difference in diversity this year
Published on: January 15, 2024
JAMESTOWN, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2024) – Guilford Technical Community College will honor two people and one campus organization with its annual GTCC MLK Jr. Service Award on Jan. 24 at UNCG’s MLK Celebration: Dream it. Believe it. Do it. Developing Leaders for Tomorrow event.
Catina Galloway, Ph.D., the psychology/sociology department chairperson and program coordinator for the college’s Inclusion for Impact Internship Program will be the staff honoree, and the student honoree will be second-year student and hospitality management major Bryson Nicoletta. The Titan Link team will be honored for partnering with Out of the Garden (OOG), a nonprofit group that addresses food insecurity in the Piedmont Triad. And the GTCC police department will be recognized for helping with Titan Link and OOG events.
“We are blessed to have campus communities that support the ideals and dreams of Dr. King and act on those ideals and dreams,” said Anthony Clarke, Ph.D., president of GTCC. “This year’s honorees are an incredible group who worked diligently to help others and to serve our community.”
The award honors members of the GTCC community who demonstrate a commitment to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideals and further GTCC's commitment to diversity. Nominees must exemplify a commitment to fostering a diverse campus community and a personal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Galloway founded and led the Inclusion for Impact Program at GTCC and developed a process to recruit and train diverse potential employees to contribute to the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. She also volunteered to represent GTCC in the North Carolina Community College System Equity Coach Academy and learned to teach faculty and staff about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Nicoletta has used curiosity and hard work to become a driven member of the hospitality and culinary programs. He has achieved above standard classroom goals, and has built solid leadership skills. In the process, Nicoletta has also developed a passion for serving others. Nicoletta was key in reviving the American Culinary Federation Junior Chefs of the Triad. He organized, prepared, and served food to shelters and veteran’s groups and provided support for the Women's Resource Center of Greensboro by preparing appetizers to raise money at the group's annual Men Can Cook event.
In September 2023, the Titan Link team coordinated with the local nonprofit Out of the Garden to serve the community on GTCC’s High Point campus with monthly fresh mobile food markets. Data shows that the 27260 ZIP Code in High Point is in the top five poorest ZIP Code areas in North Carolina. The area is also considered a food desert, or an area where fresh affordable food isn't readily available. Titan Link secured $9,000 in funding from the GTCC Foundation to partner with OOG.
In five months of operation on the High Point campus, OOG provided fresh produce, meat, and dairy products to 470 families with 1,890 people served and 30,185 pounds of food distributed by 53 volunteers.
The OOG distributions drew larger-than-usual volume of traffic to campus, making the support of the GTCC police department vital and appreciated.
Titan Link is a GTCC program that works to improve financial self-sufficiency, academic program completion and quality of life for the college’s students, faculty, and staff across all of its campuses.
Back to All Articles