HAMLET — Twenty-year-old twins Belle and Samuel Capel are about to go their separate ways this fall: Belle to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to study oceanography and Samuel to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to study computer science.
While their career plans have put them on separate paths, one thing they both agreed upon was starting their educational journey at Richmond Community College.
“I choose to come to Richmond Community College because I felt like it was a good stepping stone for transferring into a bigger university,” Samuel said.
Their mom, Angie Staley, a graduate of RichmondCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program, also encouraged them to go to RichmondCC where they could complete general education courses required of all college freshmen and sophomores — no matter what school they attend. They both enrolled in the Associate in Science degree program, which is designed to allow for a seamless transition into a baccalaureate program in biological, mathematical or natural sciences.
“I want to major in oceanography as it is something I have been passionate about for many years,” Belle said. “I want to work on a boat that goes out in the ocean and gather information about the marine life and figure out how to save those that are endangered from climate change and over fishing.”
After a bachelor’s degree, her goal is to get a master’s and a doctorate.
As for Samuel, his passion is for technology.
“I would like to become a software developer or white hat hacker because technology interests me a lot. People take advantage of technology sometimes, so helping to prevent that would be rewarding for me,” he said.
A white hat hacker is an ethical computer hacker who uses his skills to proactively find security weaknesses in order to fix them before they can be exploited by malicious attackers.
Samuel and Belle both liked the welcoming environment at RichmondCC with its small classes and helpful instructors who go out of their way to make sure students are successful. The Capel twins, who are from Jackson Springs, also have a family connection to the College. Their grandfather, Charles Roger Staley, a former member of the Richmond Community Foundation and RichmondCC Foundation, played a role in the establishment of the Robinette Building that houses the Leon Levine School of Business & Information Technology in Rockingham.
Samuel said his grandfather was a huge supporter of their education at RichmondCC, as was the College president, Dr. Dale McInnis.
“Dr. McInnis has known my mother for a long time, so I got to know who he was, and he made sure I was doing good in my classes all the time,” Samuel said.
Samuel did well enough in his classes to work as a math tutor in the Academic Success Center.
While Belle completed her degree in June, Samuel will graduate with his associate degree in August. However, she took a Spanish and biology class this summer at RichmondCC because they will transfer into her bachelor’s degree program at UNCW and help her get ahead in her studies.
“I loved that everyone at RichmondCC was very welcoming and wanted to help you succeed in life,” Belle said. “It’s just a great place overall for anyone wanting to get more education to start a new career or just get more knowledge.”
Now Registering Students for Fall Semester
RichmondCC is currently enrolling students in classes for the fall semester, which begins Aug. 18. RichmondCC offers multiple transferable degrees to four-year colleges and universities for students who want to pursue careers in education, business, medicine, engineering, biology or other sciences. RichmondCC also has guaranteed admission programs with nine North Carolina universities. To learn more, call Student Services at 910-410-1700 or visit www.richmondcc.edu.
