The graduates of Edgecombe Community College’s 15th Basic Academy for Basic Law Enforcement Training earned a significant achievement and set an unprecedented mark.

Of the 36 cadets who began the academy on Oct. 3, 2024, 32 graduated from the program on Tuesday, March 11. The graduates were all recognized in the Keihin Auditorium on the Tarboro campus as the largest-ever graduating class from the college, exceeding the previous record by 11. 

ECC can also tout the pass rate for the class on an exam mandated by the NC Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission. According to BLET School Director, Bernie Taylor, of the 32 cadets who successfully completed their requirements of eligibility in order to sit for the state comprehensive certification examination, all 32 passed, achieving a 100 percent pass rate.

Suzi Shippen-Wagner, ECC’s program chair for Surgical Technology, was featured as a guest speaker at the Association of Surgical Technologists National Conference in New Orleans. Shippen-Wagner was a guest speaker along with co-presenter Renee Bridges, program chair for Davidson-Davie Community College. Their topic was “Why we go There: Taking students on Medical Mission."

Forty employers participated in Edgecombe Community College’s annual Job Fair held Friday, March 21 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on the Tarboro campus. According to Shaquana Deans-Thorne, ECC recruiter and career services counselor, there were more than 250 job seekers in attendance.