Emily Hallman was just accepted to her dream Ivy League school, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), while pursuing a university transfer degree at Craven Community College (Craven CC).
Originally from Ohio, Emily moved to North Carolina to be near her sister after their father passed away. With her educational journey on hold, she then she met her husband, Clifford. After supporting his Army career, they moved to New Bern to be near the coast. At that point, Emily decided it was time to go back to school.
“She’s my superhero,” gushed Clifford.
Emily was accepted to attend UNC-Chapel Hill prior to her enrollment at Craven CC, but declined after considering the in-class commitment that would be required. She then turned to Craven CC for their online classes, which would allow her to continue her studies without disrupting her full schedule as a mom.
“Craven’s online courses gave me the opportunity for a full course load with two toddlers, and prepared me for the course load I’ll have at UPenn as a non-traditional student,” said Emily. “It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.”
Emily’s been a Craven CC student since 2023, going to school alongside her stepson, who she’s helped raise since the age of 6. Being full-time students together helped them connect even more.
“Emily has been a fantastic student,” said Dr. Jessica Saxon, Craven CC English faculty. “The workload in a literature class it tough, and there is a lot of reading and writing in them, but in each class, Emily did an amazing job of rising to those academic challenges. Her academic achievements are all the more impressive when considering she has done all of her coursework online and while being a stay-at-home mother of two very young children. She was an absolute delight to have in classes and I know she will thrive at UPenn.”
Emily attended Craven CC to pursue an Associate in Arts, which is a university transfer degree that guarantees acceptance to one of North Carolina’s 16 public universities. Emily applied to several dream schools and was accepted by several, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgetown and University of Pennsylvania. She will begin her studies this fall towards her Liberal Arts degree in Literature, Culture and Traditions.
For more information about university transfer degrees at Craven CC, visit cravencc.edu/transfer.
