Two Fayetteville Technical Community College students in the C-STEP program were accepted into the EDGE Genomics summer internship program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
The Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program (C-STEP) offers the opportunity to earn an associate degree from a North Carolina Community College and then transfer to UNC with guaranteed enrollment to take classes towards a bachelor degree.
Maxey Mapp, C-STEP student
Maxey Mapp, a native of Fayetteville, started taking classes at FTCC during the Fall of 2020. His first year, he failed his courses in the general studies degree pathway and decided to take a year off from school. When Mapp returned to campus, he met Loutricia Nelson, University Outreach Coordinator, and learned about the C-STEP program.
“I would have never applied to UNC or heard of this internship before the C-STEP program,” Mapp said. “Being in this program has opened so many doors for me that I would never have believed I could be a part of and now I have guaranteed enrollment into my dream school.”
Not only do the students have the opportunity to meet with advisors at both schools, but they get to shadow a current C-STEP student at UNC to learn the campus, observe classes and network about the future.
Mia Brinson, C-STEP student
Mia Brinson moved to Fayetteville during high school as a homeschool student. She started her journey at FTCC in the High School Connections program and learned about C-STEP in her ACA-122 College Transfer Success course.
“It is comforting to know that you have a guaranteed opportunity and it takes stress out of the process; I don’t think I would have perused UNC without the C-STEP program,” Brinson said. “FTCC does a good job at broadcasting opportunities and preparing for them. I learned about the internship while I was hanging posters as a part of my community service hours. All you have to do is look around and the opportunities advertised on campus are endless.”
Both Mapp and Brinson will start their three-week summer internship after graduation and will continue the second eight-week session in the summer of 2025.
“Use your resources and build a relationship with Ms. Nelson,” Mapp said. “She had more belief in me than I did. When I first applied, my GPA was under the requirement, but I retook some of my failed classes and was accepted into the program.”
C-STEP students are required to:
- Maintain a 3.2 GPA
- Abide by Carolina’s honor code
- Participate in C-STEP programming
- Be eligible to receive federal financial aid
“Being a part of this program means you are never alone,” Brinson said. “We have weekly meetings with Ms. Nelson and we compare schedules with all the students in C-STEP to be able to form study groups outside of class hours. My advise to anyone thinking about applying would be to just do it, the worst they can say is no. This program will set you up for so many opportunities to prepare you for your future.”
To learn more about the C-STEP program and how to apply, visit the University Outreach website or contact Loutricia Nelson at nelsonl@faytechcc.edu.
