Ali Earns Scholar of Global Distinction Status

WINTERVILLE—With graduation nearing, Pitt Community College Early Childhood Education student Amira Ali put the finishing touches on an outstanding academic career by delivering a capstone presentation to earn PCC Scholar of Global Distinction (SGD) honors.

Ali, a Class of 2018 member, completed her SGD requirements April 27 by discussing the impact of the Scholars of Global Distinction initiative, which is designed to help students become global citizens. She was the only student to earn the designation during 2017-18 academic year and will wear a special stole commemorating the achievement during graduation.

A native of Egypt, Ali moved to the United States 15 years ago. She has lived in North Carolina since 2012.

Having already earned a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies before coming to America, Ali excelled academically at PCC, recording a 3.95 GPA and earning several scholarships. She’s been an active member of student clubs and organizations and was named the college’s recipient of the N.C. Community College System Academic Excellence Award this year.

To achieve SGD status on her official college transcript, Ali attended at least eight international “passport” events on and off campus and completed 15 credit hours in courses designated as having globally-intensive content with a ‘C’ or higher. In addition to the capstone presentation, she met a required 30 hours of global experience by participating in international events locally and traveling to Egypt in the summers of 2016 and 2017.

Started three years ago, the SGD program encourages Pitt students to incorporate global education into their respective fields of study. The initiative is the product of a partnership between North Carolina community colleges and UNC-Chapel Hill’s North Carolina Global Distinction Initiative with World View.

“(SGD) was started to essentially help students connect with the global community by encouraging them to learn about other countries and cultures in class, through study abroad, and through any international events we hold on campus or in the community,” Ali said.

PCC faculty members Edwin Franklin and Regina Garcia served as SGD advisors and assisted Ali with planning and documenting the program requirements she completed.

05/07/2018