Now 53 and having earned three college degrees, Shearin is asked what he thinks about that high school counselor who declared him “not college material.”
Bryant graduated from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in 1986 with a degree in public administration, where his professors instilled in him the values of ethics, discipline and community leadership.
The endowment, which will be fully funded at $25,000 over five years, recognizes the strength, resilience and dedication of students connected to the U.S. Armed Forces.
Wearing gloves, they collected six to ten oysters at each site. Along the way, they tested temperature, salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH and dissolved oxygen (DO).
Alumni participation rose from 8% in FY2024 to 10% in FY2025, with the number of alumni donors increasing to 2,439. Alumni contributions grew from $2.8 million to $4.5 million.