West Lincoln High School Class of 2020 valedictorian and star athlete Kelton Towery will begin NC State University with an Associate in Science degree from Gaston College
Kelton Towery, the valedictorian of the West Lincoln High School Class of 2020, has also received his Associate in Science degree from Gaston College. As a participant in College Now, the Gaston College Career and College Promise program, he earned dual credit by taking advanced placement classes at his high school along with courses at Gaston College.
Kelton Towery is academically gifted and is an outstanding athlete who was a star pitcher and infielder on the West Lincoln High School baseball team.
“I began the Career and College Promise program with Gaston College in the fall of 2018,” said Towery. “I set out to take college courses with the intentions of helping minimize my college debt upon attending a four-year university. I definitely recommend the dual enrollment program to other high school students. The program just makes sense for those who qualify to take advantage of it.”
In addition to being academically gifted, Towery is an outstanding athlete who was a star pitcher and infielder on the West Lincoln High School baseball team. He was his school’s male winner of the Wendy’s Heisman High School Scholarship and the recipient of the Dixie Youth Baseball Scholarship and the Thomas E. and Betty Potts Scholarship.
Towery’s other activities and accomplishments include serving on the Christian Ministry of the Lincoln County Board, being an active member of the Cherryville Traditional New Year Shooters, and, at his high school, holding the positions of National Honor Society parliamentarian and Interact Club vice president. He also is a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the Beta, Math, and Off-the Shelf Book clubs. He has competed in mathematics and chemistry competitions and his senior class voted him “Most Likely to Save the Planet.”
Kelton always pauses to pray for his fellow teammates while on the mound.
Beginning in August 2020, Towery will attend the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University, where he will double major in business management and engineering. “An academic goal moving forward,” he said, “is to choose one field and gain a master’s degree. Thinking ahead to a career choice in which I can use both areas of expertise, I can possibly see myself doing consultant work.”
The College Now program at Gaston College enabled Towery to get a jumpstart on his collegiate experience. “A highlight I reflect back on is the moment that I realized that I was actually going to obtain my degree, he said. “Taking college courses as a high school junior and senior is a great opportunity and an awesome experience. I would like to say thank you Gaston College for teaming up with my high school.”
About College Now
The College Now program is a dual-enrollment opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to take tuition-free college classes from Gaston College in a schedule and format that works for them. For more information about College Now, go to www.gaston.edu/college-now.
About Gaston College
Gaston College is one of 58 community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System. Serving both Gaston and Lincoln counties, Gaston College enrolls approximately 8,000 students each term in curriculum programs and averages over 17,000 annually in its Economic and Workforce Development and Continuing Education programs. Gaston College offers over 100 fields of study to obtain a degree, diploma or certificate. To learn more about the College’s services and programs, visit the Gaston College website at www.gaston.edu.
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