Alumni Association / Cardinal Foundation

Cardinal Foundation, Alumni Association, others support Gadsden State student

 

 

Cole Beauchamp was a high school senior when life as he knew it changed forever. The direction he once had was snatched away when his mother, Tracy, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm.

 

“It was such a shock,” he said. “She was so important to me that I couldn’t imagine life without her.”

 

But a promise he made to her brought him focus after he graduated from Albertville High School just two months later.

 

“She very much wanted me to go to college, and I made her a promise that I would,” said the 20-year-old. “I do this in memory of my mother.”

 

Beauchamp is now a sophomore at Gadsden State Community College, where he is a scholarship student. He earned a $1,750 scholarship from the Gadsden State Alumni Association, a technical scholarship and a statewide scholarship from the Alabama Homebuilders Association. He also received the $2,000 Gerald Acker Scholarship from the Cardinal Foundation.

 

“I’m so grateful for the scholarships and the support I have received,” he said. “Because of my education, I know I will have a better life. I don’t want to jump from job-to-job. I want a career, and I am getting that at Gadsden State.”

 

Beauchamp is working towards a degree in Electrical Technology, a subject that has interested him since working with his father, an electrician.

 

“When I turned 16, he let me do small things for him,” he said. “I realized I really liked it and I was fascinated by the work.”

 

A friend attended Gadsden State and encouraged Beauchamp to do the same.

 

“He said the Electrical Technology program is one of the best in the state,” he said. “He told me I would enjoy the College, my advisors and my teachers – and he was right.”

 

He said he is grateful for Gadsden State instructors, many of whom treat him like family.

 

“At Gadsden State, your advisors and teachers really care about you,” said Beauchamp, who has a 3.89 GPA. “They give you their time. They really want you to succeed, and they are as focused on your future as you are. They go above and beyond and I’m so thankful.”

 

At Gadsden State, he works as an electrical lab assistant, a position that allows him the opportunity to rebuild and repair electrical equipment at the College. He and his fellow classmates spearheaded a College coat drive for the Etowah Baptist Mission Center. And, he tutors fellow students.

 

“Cole is an excellent student,” said Deb Reynolds, the Electrical Technology instructor at Gadsden State’s East Broad Campus. “He’s devoted. He’s a team player. He’s a very special person.”

 

The hardworking student recently built a new house with his father, assists his grandmother at her Springville hay and Angus cattle farm, volunteers for Keep Albertville Beautiful and works at Walmart in Guntersville.

 

“Even after working as hard as he does, he always cares about his studies and about his classmates,” Reynolds said. “He wants to succeed, and he wants others to succeed. He is an asset to this program and to Gadsden State.”

 

At the College, Beauchamp has especially enjoyed the hands-on experiences, the classroom training and the scholarship opportunities.

 

“Gadsden State has everything a student needs to succeed,” he said. “You get the tools to do your very best. Coming to Gadsden State has been one of my greatest decisions. It has certainly been a positive experience for me.”

 

Cardinal Foundation and Alumni Association

benefit Gadsden State students

 

The Gadsden State Community College Alumni Association and the Cardinal Foundation give alumni and supporters the opportunity to give back to the College as well as provide exceptional opportunities to students, like Cole Beauchamp.

 

The Gadsden State Alumni Association advances, supports and promotes the interests of the College, its students, alumni and association members. In 2017, the alumni association awarded three student scholarships and spearheaded the Outstanding Faculty Awards as well as Outstanding Alumni of the Year and Outstanding Distinguished Service Award.

 

Membership is not limited to Gadsden State graduates. Anyone in the community can become an alumni member and help support students with their education. All membership dues are used for the annual scholarships. The annual membership is $20 a year or lifetime memberships are available for $300 (installment plans are available). All lifetime members receive an association tshirt. Gadsden State students graduating with a certificate or a degree receive a one-year complimentary membership.

 

Benefits to alumni association membership include a discount at the Gadsden State bookstore, a copy of Current magazine, the use of library resources and attendance at home athletic events at no cost.

 

To apply for membership, go to www.gadsdenstate.edu/alumni/home.

 

The alumni association is also spearheading a fundraiser that allows alumni, students, faculty, staff and supporters to leave a lasting impression by purchasing a commemorative brick, which is placed in the newly-renovated courtyard on the Wallace Drive Campus. The bricks are $100 each and include three lines of 16 characters or spaces per line.

 

Anyone interested in purchasing a brick can go to www.gadsdenstate.edu/brickcampaign.

 

The Cardinal Foundation is an approved IRS 501(c)3 support organization established to raise, manage, distribute and steward private resources to support the mission of Gadsden State. It supports all six campuses located in Calhoun, Cherokee and Etowah counties.

 

In Spring 2017, the Cardinal Foundation awarded seven scholarships to qualified students. It also sponsored the annual Everyday Heroes Breakfast honoring community people who go above and beyond for the betterment of their community.

 

In 2017, the Cardinal Foundation accepted the award of $79,421 for the Health Sciences Division at Gadsden State from a Stringfellow Grant provided through the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama. The funds went toward the purchase of educational and clinical equipment that advance the College’s health science programs.

 

The Cardinal Foundation can assist donors with establishing a permanently endowed charitable fund for the benefit of the College and community or in the creation of a named scholarship fund.

 

To learn more about the Cardinal Foundation, go to www.gadsdenstate.edu/foundation/home.

 

To speak to someone about the alumni association or foundation, please call 256-549-8247.

 

 

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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

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gadsdenstate.edu | 1001 George Wallace Drive | Gadsden, AL 35903 | 256.549.8200 | @gadsdenstate