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SANFORD, N.C. — As a homeschool student, Isaac Barstow felt a little intimidated socially during his first couple weeks taking classes at �ڰ�������.

That changed as he started talking more to other people on campus. 

“I’m really glad I did that, because I discovered that people here are great,” said Barstow, a Sanford resident who graduated this spring with two �ڰ������� associate degrees, in arts and in science, as well as his homeschool high school diploma. 

What he found, he said, is people at �ڰ������� tend to be very friendly and open. He said he loves how diverse the community is, not just in terms of ethnicity but also in terms of age, life stage, and goals. 

His �ڰ������� friends range from high-school students attending the Lee Early College program to people in their forties looking for a change of pace. 

“It’s really great seeing all these different walks of life, all these different careers and experiences, and just being able to be in a community with them, learn from them, and hang out with them,” he said. 

Joining �ڰ�������’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and serving as the organization’s Recording Officer turned out to be great ways to meet new people, Barstow said. 

He also loved the small class sizes at �ڰ������� and how willing his instructors were to talk during office hours and through emails. 

“I really appreciated not only having this great one-on-one instruction from them but also being able to learn from them and also kind of share in their excitement for their materials, because we have a lot of very passionate people working here,” said Barstow. 

Barstow excelled in his classes and was highly honored by �ڰ������� and its faculty, earning both the Academic Excellence Award for the Associate in Science at the college’s annual honors ceremony, as well as the Highest Academic Award for the Associate in Science at �ڰ�������’s spring graduation. 

Those recognitions, he believes, greatly contributed to his gaining admission to the University of Michigan honors program, which he plans to attend this fall.  

He is interested in studying biochemistry or molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, with hopes of going into medicine or a related field. 

Barstow said what clinched his decision to attend the University of Michigan was the collaborative environment there and students' attitude of “we’re all in this together, so we might as well work through it together.” 

At �ڰ�������, he has worked as a tutor and also assisted classmates, so that way of thinking makes a lot of sense to him. 

“I think it kind of formed into a genuine desire to just help people,” he said. “I want to see everyone succeed.”