Early Childhood Education grad on her way to fulfilling her dreams of attending Appalachian State University

“The early childhood education program at GTCC exceeded my expectations. My professors were always available on campus with office hours and made it so easy to go in and meet with them if I had questions."

Since Stephanie Dvorsky was a sophomore in high school, she always knew she wanted to attend Appalachian State University. She just didn’t quite know what she’d study for a few more years.

“App State has always been my goal,” said Dvorsky. “I used to play clarinet in high school and each year we’d attend a huge marching band competition at App State, and I fell in love with the campus my sophomore year. The environment of the town and staff, I’ve always loved it there.”

During her senior year at McMichael High School, the Stokesdale, North Carolina native worked an internship at her former elementary school. After a semester in a second-grade classroom at Huntsville Elementary School, Dvorsky decided teaching might be a good career path.

“My senior year, I opted to take an internship course one semester,” Dvorsky said. “Someone I knew had interned at the elementary school and heard it was a great experience. I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. It was really cool, and it really inspired my desire to be an educator.”

In 2019 Dvorsky, started at Rockingham Community College but between the pandemic and moving to Greensboro she later transferred to GTCC in 2022 after taking a gap year. She explained community college had always been on her radar.

“I knew it made sense to start with community college, but my end game was always to go to App State.”

During Dvorsky’s gap year, she started working at a preschool that she loved and really needed a college schedule that allowed her to continue working.

“I had started working at a preschool part time and need flexibility with online classes. At GTCC I was able to coordinate my school and work schedule better, and most of it was online. Dr. Jean Kang, my advisor, was so nice,” Dvorsky added. “GTCC was the perfect fit for me. Everything just lined up so perfectly.”

When asked how the transfer process from GTCC to Appalachian State University went, Dvorsky exuded praise for her GTCC advisor and early childhood education professor.

“Because I took a college transfer class at Rockingham Community College, I knew how to navigate transferring to App State. However, when I started at GTCC and went to Dr. Kang with my list of classes she helped a lot by telling me how to navigate work, school, etc. She helped lay it out a lot for me.”

Dvorsky will begin as a junior at Appalachian State this fall working toward her bachelor of science in child development and will still be able to continue her education online, allowing her to continue working at her beloved preschool.

“I have worked at the same preschool for almost four years, and I have just been offered a lead teaching position in the two-year classroom since my GTCC graduation.”

Dvorsky credits her time at GTCC for properly preparing her for Appalachian State University and for becoming a licensed teacher.

“The early childhood education program at GTCC exceeded my expectations. My professors were always available on campus with office hours and made it so easy to go in and meet with them if I had questions.

“The classes challenged me, which I appreciated, and I feel I’m better prepared for life and for App State because of them.”

For more information on the Early Childhood Education program, visit gtcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/programs/human-services-social-sciences/early-childhood-education.php