Madison is majoring in engineering, and embracing the Wolfpack lifestyle. And John Fulton is making the most of his Pirate experience.

Madison Workman, a West Brunswick High School graduate, and John Fulton, a West Columbus High School graduate, were the recipients of BEMC’s annual college scholarships last spring. We checked in with them to see how things were going!

Madison: I’m really liking NC State a lot. It’s a big campus with so much to do, and so close to downtown Raleigh that it’s easy to go back and forth. Even though I got my associate degree while in high school, I must have had it relatively easy, because I need to do so much more studying now.

I’m a first-year engineering student and leaning towards a double major in mechanical and electrical, but I’m still learning what each engineer does. And I’m interested in exterior design, I might want to work with architects on city buildings. The buildings on campus are so modern; the library is impressive on the outside, and cozy and welcoming on the inside.

It's been fun making new friends and hanging out with my suite mates, and I’m playing sports and having a terrific time, but I must say I’ve missed my Nana, who raised me. We text every day, and she came up for a football game, which was great! The week before, my boyfriend, whom I went to high school with and is going to State as well, and I went back to visit her for Halloween to help her hand out candy. It’s good to be challenged, academically and otherwise, because we will be all through life. So far this has been a wonderful and humbling experience, and I’m so glad to be here!

John: East Carolina University is great, and the adjustment to campus life has gone very well. It’s a lot bigger than I expected, but I’ve already made some good friends and joined some clubs. I’m especially excited to be a part of the ECU Gospel Choir. We’re the official gospel choir and sing at different churches and have a slate of performances. There’s a lot of camaraderie involved, and of course the spiritual aspect is very important to me as well. It provides some good balance with my classes and studies.

I’m finding the classes to be manageable, and because I was dual-enrolled while in high school, I had an idea what to expect. My favorite class right now is Multicultural Hospitality. My major is Hospitality Management with a concentration in food and beverage. I’m definitely on the culinary path, I love to cook. Unfortunately, there’s no kitchenette in our dorm, or I would be feeding everyone. The food here is edible, good, but not like home. I do miss home, I miss the home cooking and being surrounded by family and the people you love. It’s a mixture of feelings, for sure because I’m really enjoying being here, and I want to make the most of it.