RCC Graduate Katelyn Carr finds early success in life
If you were to look at Katelyn Carr’s list of things to accomplish, it might go something like this:
– Complete High School
– Earn an associate degree
– Attend NC State, get a bachelor’s degree
– Find my dream job, allowing me to write and be creative
And at just the age of 21, Katelyn has achieved all of the above.
Katelyn found her way to Robeson Community College through the early college housed on its campus. During high school, she completed college credits, allowing her to get her diploma and earn an associate degree simultaneously. Once she graduated in May 2022, she set her sights on new goals — transferring to North Carolina State University and earning a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Professional Writing.
“RCC prepared me for NC State by providing me experience with the pacing and academic level of college courses, but in a smaller and less overwhelming environment,” Carr said. “So, when I did go to NC State, my classes at least were a familiar experience when everything else was so new.”
Carr says the transition from RCC to NC State was seamless, which is what administrators hope to hear from transfer majors as they make the leap to the university level.
“It was pretty easy,” Carr said. “I do think the classes were much easier to transition into than they would have been had I not gone to Early College and RCC.”
As Katelyn moved to Raleigh to join the Wolfpack Family, she discovered that life on campus was just as she expected.
“I did love it,” Carr stated. “Once I made friends and joined the clogging team, it was really just nice to have people that you consistently see every day or every week.”
Although Carr only got to experience college life and experience on campus for 2 years, she says it was a valuable experience and is even thinking of moving back to the area once she gets settled in with her new job, a position she started first as an intern as part of her studies and graduation requirements for NC State. During the summer months, she worked for the organization as a contractor. She was thrilled when the company offered her a full-time job with benefits this past September.
“It’s an interesting new experience,” Carr said. “I work at a start-up, and I just started, so no day is really a typical day.”
Her new job involves technical writing for business and industry. She’s currently working remotely, a trend that is sweeping across the nation post-COVID, and a trend that has gained favorability with new college graduates.
“Right now, I just handle my tasks as they come to me, but as I get more used to my role, I’ll be helping out with writing customer-facing documentation, manuals, guides, and things like that,” Carr added.
With achieving so much success at an early age, Carr says she is very thankful for the decisions she made.
Attending RCC Early College can be a great decision, especially if you are better suited to small environments, Carr said. “It really does prepare you for moving on to a 4-year university and saves you money.”
She also has advice for anyone interested in attending Robeson Community College and following in her footsteps in transferring to a university.
“Your time spent at RCC will prepare you well for transferring,” Carr said. “You should practice things like approaching instructors and professors to form connections, managing your own time, and things like that.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the university transfer program at Robeson Community College, please visit https://www.robeson.edu/universitytransfer/ and start your path toward earning your bachelor’s degree. RCC has several university transfer partnerships established with guaranteed admission and even includes many benefits with the 4-year university that will start during your time at RCC.
