Miss North Carolina Presents Gift to ECC Foundation
Miss North Carolina Laura Matrazzo visited Edgecombe Community College recently to present a gift to the College’s scholarship fund. From left are ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod, Matrazzo, and Jean Bailey, president of the ECC Foundation Board of Directors.
Miss North Carolina Laura Matrazzo visited Edgecombe Community College on Tuesday to make a contribution to the ECC Foundation on behalf of the North Carolina Educational Scholarship Fund.
Matrazzo presented a gift of $1,250 for student scholarships during a meeting of the ECC Foundation Board of Directors.
David Clegg, who has been involved with the Miss North Carolina Pageant operations for many years, told board members, “Miss North Carolina is much larger than a pageant. It is also a scholarship foundation that promotes achievement at all levels, not just women ages 17 to 24.”
Clegg acknowledged community colleges statewide and emphasized the importance of their mission and impact. “Community colleges are critical to the foundation and fabric of their communities across North Carolina,” he said.
Matrazzo, an advocate for financial literacy, spoke about the importance of scholarship assistance to college students. A graduate of Clemson University, she said she was able to pay off a student loan thanks to the scholarships she received from participation in the Miss America Organization.
“The future of many of your students rides on scholarships,” she said.
Following her visit, Matrazzo posted on her Miss North Carolina Facebook page, “Edgecombe Community College rolled out the red carpet for my campus visit. We began by addressing the scholarship foundation board and presenting a check on behalf of the NC Educational Scholarship Fund. We then took a tour of the cosmetology school, early college, student resources building, and more. I also was able to snap a picture with Miss Tarboro 1980, Ann Cobb [Warren], who is now serving the school on the foundation board. Encouraging students around North Carolina has been such a highlight of this job.”
“We are very grateful to Ms. Matrazzo and Mr. Clegg for taking the time to travel to Tarboro and present the College with such a generous gift,” said ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod. “Ms. Matrazzo is an outstanding role model and was so gracious to tour our campus. She spoke with a number of students and was genuinely interested to hear about their educational goals and dreams for the future.”