When Ashon卡尔霍恩 first enrolled at 蒙哥马利县社区学院 as a student in the fall of 2018, he learned an important life lesson.

“It taught me that that I have more control over my life and situation than I thought,” 他说. “It taught me how much control I had over my future. 如果你来上课 你会做得很好的. 如果你不出现，你就不会做得很好. 这是你的选择.”

That lesson served him well as he rose to become a sergeant in the United States Army National Guard and later to the top of his class at 宾夕法尼亚州立大学 University Harrisburg, where he was named a marshal and student speaker at Commencement 今年春天.

Calhoun, originally from Pottstown, enrolled 在MCCC’s Pottstown校园 in the fall of 2018. The Pottsgrove High School graduate said he loved MCCC’s small class sizes 回家也很方便.

“我觉得 like I knew my professors and could get my questions answered,” 他说. “I 不仅仅是一个数字.”

卡尔霍恩, 心理学 少校当时是  Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, during the spring of 2019.

“太棒了，”他说. “Being at Montco really boosted my confidence. 我觉得 就像我属于这里.”

At MCCC, Calhoun remembers two faculty members fondly- Sociology Assistant Professor Augustine Isamah and former 心理学 part-time instructor Davin Rowe Sr.

“Professor Isamah was so funny,” said Calhoun. “他让课堂变得非常互动. 在那里 每次上课你都在笑. The way he was always blending entertainment 教育是完美的.”

Rowe, 他说, was also known for his sense of humor.

“He was an open book if you had a question and was very thorough with his answers. 他的教学风格与我一致. He was very matter of fact and a big joker. The thing I love is when teachers are funny.”

Isamah praised Calhoun’s performance in the classroom.

“One thing the stands out in my mind regarding him is that he had that intellectual curiosity and inquisitiveness that is rare today among students. 这是一种罕见的品质 that makes for excellent students,” 他说. “I am very happy to hear his has graduated 有心理学学位. I fully expect him to go on to greater intellectual achievements 在不久的将来.”

In 2019, Calhoun signed a six-year contract with the National Guard. 他停顿了一下 MCCC的培训.

By July 2020, he returned home, but the pandemic had changed his hometown with social 保持距离和其他预防措施. 卡尔霍恩回到了MCCC 在线 to finish the remaining three semesters of his program and nearly earned a 4.0的绩点.

MCCC Part-time 退伍军人 服务 Resource Specialist Charles Storti praised Calhoun's diverse skills, work ethic and drive toward his education.

“While here at Montco, Ashon quickly set himself apart academically and as a veteran/student.  他参加了我们的 退伍军人资源中心 gatherings, proudly wore his veteran braid, along with his honors braid, at his graduation ceremony," 他说, "and continues to maintain contact with this office, as well as extending respect and appreciation to his experiences here at our great College.”  

While 在MCCC, Calhoun became an emotional support counselor for students at a local 学校. He supported them by helping them navigate their classes. 这次经历是 rewarding, but he decided it wasn’t the career trajectory he wanted to pursue any 进一步.  

By 2022, he completed his associate’s degree in 心理学 from MCCC, changed majors 至通讯及 转移 宾州州立大学哈里斯堡分校.

He then headed to sergeant’s 学校 at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss. 的基本 leadership course taught him how to lead soldiers as a sergeant and take care of his 军队.

Calhoun made the Commandant’s 列表 and graduated among the top 20 percent of his class. He was selected to represent his class in front of the Leadership Board, which required him to prepare to answer up to 200 different military questions in front of a panel 军官.

Afterward, Calhoun returned to 宾夕法尼亚州立大学 to finish his bachelor’s degree program. He was selected for a fellowship from the Emma Bowen Foundation, which earned him an internship with Hearst Television at WGAL 8. 他被选入国民警卫队 Society of Leadership and Success and into the honor society Phi Kappa Phi. 他赢得了 the President Walker and the Evan Pugh Scholar awards and was named to the Dean’s 列表.

After his internship and he’ll attend Defense Information School, the Army training 传媒学院. He hopes to work in a field that will allow him to educate people through creative means and is also considering a master’s degree.

Calhoun said the success he’s had up to this point can be traced back to his time 在MCCC.

“It was an unforgettable experience,” 他说. “我花了很多功夫才拿到学位 and prepared me even more for the next steps in life.”