For Shawn Toderick, Craven Community College was more than just a starting point; it was the place where he eventually found his way back.
Today, Toderick serves as Craven’s Dean of Technology Services and Chief Information Officer, helping lead the systems and services that support students, employees, and campus operations. However, his path to that role was far from direct. Shaped by personal loss, uncertainty, and a determination to return to school, his story reflects the life-changing role community colleges can play in helping students rebuild and move forward.
Toderick first came to Craven after graduating from high school in 1994. He planned to study drafting and pursue architecture. But soon after enrolling, his mother’s cancer returned.
“I dropped out in the first trimester of ’95 to help out,” he said. “Then my mother passed away May 1, ’95, and I was gone within a month. I spent the next three years lost.”
When he returned to Craven in 2000, he had a new sense of purpose. He started in the Computer Information Systems program, then shifted into networking, where he found both direction and confidence. That focus showed up not only in his coursework, but in the way he helped others.
“I was helping my fellow students, my classmates, when they would have problems because I understood it,” Toderick said. “So, I got a lot of extra knowledge by helping them learn.”
While still a student, he was hired by Business and Information Technology department chair Ken Wallace as a part-time lab assistant in Orringer Hall, helping students in CIS 110 build skills and confidence in the computer lab. Before long, he was also teaching Cisco classes as an adjunct in Havelock. Toderick credits much of his early growth to Craven faculty including Fred Beisel, Dan Walker, Bob Husson, Annette Walker, and Jim Millard. Their instruction gave him a strong foundation and encouraged his curiosity.
“When you’re done with your lecture and you ask, ‘Does anybody have any questions?’ apparently people dreaded when I raised my hand, because I would read the book before class,” he said with a laugh.
That dedication carried him to East Carolina University, where he completed his bachelor’s and graduate studies while earning multiple industry certifications. He later completed a master’s degree focused on information security. Still, he never lost sight of Craven’s role in changing his life.
“Community colleges exist for the community that they’re in to help with job training skills and provide a pathway to a higher education degree,” he said. “That changed my life, and I just wanted to give back and help others change their lives.”
That commitment guided him through a career in teaching, cybersecurity, and IT administration, including several years at Forsyth Technical Community College. There, he helped build security curriculum, improve network systems, and support major institutional technology efforts.
In 2018, Toderick returned to Craven in a newly created Director of Information Security role. Over time, he became associate dean and then stepped into his current leadership role. He also passed the CISSP certification during his first month as dean. Though his responsibilities have grown, Toderick says the heart of his work remains the same: helping people.
“The thing I’ve enjoyed the most and found purpose in my life was that direct interaction with people and knowing that something I did was helping benefit somebody else,” he said.
That sense of mission now extends through the team he leads, many of whom are also Craven graduates. His drive to show up every day stems from the knowledge that he is part of a culture that gives people a genuine opportunity to improve their lives.
Looking back, he knows his story might resonate with students who have dropped out or wondered if they have waited too long to return. His advice is simple and hard-earned.
“It is only too late in your head,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or what you’ve gone through. If it’s in your heart to change yourself and your life, you can do it.”
He is consistently amazed by how much Craven has grown, particularly in its ability to proactively support students. The college has developed stronger systems to identify when someone is struggling, allowing staff to offer a hand before that student reaches the point of giving up.
From student to lab assistant, then instructor to technology leader, Toderick’s journey shows how Craven Community College can be more than a starting point. For some, it becomes the place where everything starts again.
