Gaston College 2021 Graduate Carlos Oros is nominated for Outstanding Graduate award
Gaston College 2021 Graduate Carlos Oros is nominated for Outstanding Graduate award
Carlos E. Oros will graduate from Gaston College on May 14 with an Associate in Science degree. His mathematics instructor, Sholeh Shariat, has nominated him for an academic excellence award for his outstanding work in her Calculus III class and his contributions to the Gaston College community.
Oros started at Gaston College in 2019, shortly after graduating from North Gaston High School. He had not made plans to continue his education, but friends and family recommended that he apply for community college. His experience at Gaston College changed his attitude about school and he intends to attend UNC-Charlotte to major in Mathematics. “Gaston College was really enjoyable,” he said. “I’ve really appreciated the people there and interactions with my professors.” He plans to become a high school teacher or perhaps a college professor.
In her nomination of Oros for the Associate in Science Outstanding Graduate award, Shariat said, “Carlos received an A for all his assignments and tests in my Calculus III class this semester and has also completed the extra work to make the class an Honors course. He is a very bright and motivated student, has done extremely well on all his tests and projects, and works very well with other students in the Math Lab. Carlos is an excellent student tutor in the Gaston College Learning Center and has had very positive impact on the students’ learning and success. He also worked as my assistant in my pre-calculus algebra class.”
Shariat cited Oros’ other activities at Gaston College, including participation in the Math Club, serving as secretary in 2019-2020 and as vice-president in 2020-2021. In those roles, he helped organize Math Club meetings and prepared club members for future math tournaments. He was a member of the Gaston College Math Team that took first place in team competition at the 2019 North Carolina Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges math tournament. Oros is also in the Gaston College SPARC program, which offers scholarships to Associate in Science students who show academic merit and intend to major in a STEM field at a four-year university.
“It is a pleasure to have such a wonderful student in my class,” said Shariat, “and I believe he is an excellent candidate for the Outstanding Graduate in Associate in Science award.”
Oros is thankful for the support and encouragement he has received from Shariat and others at Gaston College. “In addition to Sholeh Shariat, head of the Math Club and a professor, there were a lot of people who supported me,” he said. “They include Bill Burgin, my professor for many math classes; Melissa Armstrong, my chemistry teacher who helped me find a lot of scholarship opportunities; and Alyson Jordan, Advising Specialist in the College’s Transfer Center. She is one of the really kind office staffers who told me about the SPARC Scholarship, which really helped me afford my education. Without her help, I could not have been a full-time student or have been able to stay so focused on classes. Overall, everyone at Gaston College has been very kind and helpful to me.”
The 2021 Outstanding Graduates will be honored in a series of virtual slideshows during the week of May 3. The Arts and Sciences awards will be announced on Monday, May 3. Health and Human Services awards are on May 4 and Career and Technical Information awards are on May 5. The President’s Award will be announced on May 6, followed by the North Carolina Community College System Awards and the Student Government Association Senator of the Year on May 7.
