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Claire Smith attended Durham Tech from January 2023 until May 2024. Her time at the College is one she remembers fondly and one that ended with her earning an associate degree in the arts.

“I went to another community college my senior year of high school, but it wasn’t a fit for me,” Smith said. “I decided to take a semester off from the school and that semester off turned into two years.”

When Smith decided to come back to school, she’d heard great things about Durham Tech, so she enrolled. 

“I did not have a friend enrolled at Durham Tech at the time, but my dad attended the College years before,” Smith said. “My dad had only good things to say about the school.” 

Starting Durham Tech was different from starting the previous community college because Smith’s motivation had changed. 

“I was more excited, more involved, more focused,” she said. “Both the instructors and the College’s community embraced me. It was easy to make friends and get involved, and I took advantage of my resources, like my instructor’s hours. 

“I kept really good grades and made sure I consistently talked with my instructors. The instructors wanted me to succeed. They were cheerleaders for me,” she said. “I was so proud of my grades that I remember making a report card on Canva and sharing it with family and friends. I even put little apples on the edges of it. I was just that proud of my accomplishments.” 

Smith graduated Durham Tech with a 3.76 after getting through the earlier period when she doubted she would finish school.  

“I recently sent an email to my Durham Tech Spanish teacher and shared that I visited Colombia and stayed in a Spanish-speaking hostel,” she said. “I told him how grateful I was for his teachings.” 

Along with the academic side of Durham Tech, Smith talks about the community and culture of the College as one that embraced her and one she embraced back.

“I made friends at Durham Tech,” she said. “Friends I still talk with. Just the other day, a classmate from my British Lit class emailed me to check in and catch up. It is nice to have these friendships, and it was Durham Tech’s culture that grew them.” 

Smith continued to feel that culture when one day while working in the restaurant industry, putting on events, Smith ran into some Durham Tech employees.  

"I was working at a restaurant in Durham and I overheard a group of people talking about the College,” she said. “I had to go over to their table. I told them I was a graduate. Their pride for the school and true happiness for me and pride for me was evident. The excitement on the patio of the restaurant was real.” 

Smith is currently in Nantucket, Mass., where she works for a restaurant at a beach resort.  

“I’m doing April to December. It’s been great so far. I’ve met a wide variety of people and learned a lot about the hospitality industry. Right now, my plan is to return next season as well. It’s a great opportunity to work hard and save money for nine months out of the year, then travel for the other three,” Smith said. 

Smith says she will be back for holidays to see her family.  

“We are close so I will definitely be back to recharge my people battery,” Smith said. 

Smith’s family is proud of her determination, her degree and her work ethic. 

“I have been in Durham my whole life so I was excited to attend Durham Tech and to be able to talk to my dad about the experience was unique,” Smith said. “I say stuff like I was walking by such and such building and he will say, ‘I remember walking by that building.’ Kind of cool to think we have walked down the same Durham Tech hallways. Even more nice is being able to say I am a graduate and an adult graduate as well.”