WINTERVILLE—The Pitt Community College Alumni Association honored outstanding individuals last week for their accomplishments professionally, in the community and in service to the college.
During the program, which took place on campus Sept. 26, the alumni group presented its most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, to Cam Coburn. Megan Barbre received an Outstanding Alumni Award, Robert DeGiosio a Young Alumni Award, and Betty Langston was presented with an Honorary Alumni Award.
PCC Alumni Development and Services Director Ashley Smith said this year’s honorees achieved their success through hard work and determination.
“Honoring our alumni through our awards program is one of the highest tributes we can bestow upon them,” Smith said. “We value the road that they have taken to get from PCC to where they are now.”
Coburn, son of Charles Coburn (the late PCC Athletics Director and 1994 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient), is a two-time Pitt graduate, having earned a criminal justice degree from the college in 2009 and an Associate in Arts two years later. A former member of PCC’s intercollegiate basketball team, he also completed his basic law enforcement training at the college before serving with the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.
Now working as Pitt County’s Director of Transportation, Coburn is also an ordained Baptist minister who still finds the time to volunteer with community organizations, including the PCC Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Boys and Girls Club and Pitt-Greenville Crime Stoppers.
Earlier this year, Coburn announced the establishment of the Charles R. Coburn Memorial Endowment Fund with the PCC Foundation in honor of his father, who survived a mortar explosion during the Vietnam War to live a life of service to his alma mater and community.
“(Cam) Coburn is an individual who takes pride in getting his start at PCC,” Smith said. “… He is the type of individual/volunteer that I could call with a moment’s notice saying I needed help and he would be there.”
A 2012 Radiation Therapy graduate, Barbre worked two jobs during her PCC enrollment yet managed to graduate with honors nevertheless. She currently treats cancer patients through her job with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and volunteers regularly with her church and at charitable events.
“(Megan) understands the importance of giving back and annually contributes to the Radiation Therapy Scholarship Fund with the PCC Foundation,” Smith said.
PCC Radiologic Sciences Department Chair Elaine Spencer nominated Barbre for her award, calling her the embodiment of a “role model, team player, and true woman of integrity.”
DeGiosio completed the Respiratory Therapy program at Pitt in 2013 and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He was immediately hired by Vidant Medical Center upon completing his studies and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy from UNC-Charlotte earlier this year.
A former member of the U.S. Air Force, DeGiosio continues to further his education through specialized respiratory therapy training. He also continues to support PCC’s Respiratory Therapy program by serving as a preceptor and tutor for current students and facilitating the respiratory therapy component of the program’s summer camp for Pitt County Schools Health Sciences Academy students.
“As an educator for 23 years, I have worked with many students,” said PCC Health Sciences Dean Donna Neal. “Each year, I notice that a few students offer a unique perspective and really embrace their learning of the subject matter. Mr. DeGiosio was one of those students, and he has continued that practice since graduation.”
Though she never attended PCC, Langston worked for the college as Horizons Program coordinator at the conclusion of a 25-year career with Pitt County Schools. Now fully retired, she serves as a PCC Foundation Board member and co-chairs its special events committee.
“(Betty) is an incredible volunteer who believes in the mission of PCC and the PCC Foundation,” Smith said. “She is caring, has an incredible heart, and understands the needs of our students.”
PCC Events Specialist Erin Greenleaf nominated Langston for her award, which was created in 2011 to honor individuals who have not graduated from PCC but have adopted the college as their own through outstanding service and loyalty.
“The true beauty of an individual who deserves an award for service is that they would never expect an award and believe that there are many others more worthy,” Greenleaf wrote in nominating Langston. “These individuals don’t even recognize how special they are to an organization because their desire to help, assist and work for the greater good is second nature. They are not looking to be noticed or recognized; they just simply volunteer their time, talent, and treasure because of who they are.”
Each of this year’s alumni award recipients was nominated for the honor and selected by a special committee based on established criteria.