Rosaline was employed with Women At Risk (Western Carolinians for Criminal Justice) for five years as a Clinical Case Manager, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and Court Advocate in Henderson County.  When WAR lost their funding she decided to attend A-B Tech to obtain a degree in Human Services Technology which would put her on the path of obtaining a BSW and MSW at Western Carolina University.  Rosaline is currently enrolled in the Human Services Technology/Social Services Program at A-B Tech.   She plans to graduate May 2015.  She would like to become employed at a local hospital as a social worker or at the Buncombe County Department of Social Services.

Rosaline is the recipient of the Lavender Fund Scholarship, Dislocated Worker Enrollment Scholarship, and Osborne M. Hart Endowed Scholarship.  Regarding the impact of this financial assistance, she states, "This opportunity has been a blessing to me and my family and with this financial support I can continue to work on achieving my academic goals.  A couple of years ago no one could have convinced me that as a 49 year old mother and grandmother I would be attending college."  Rosaline is a recent inductee into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and made the Deans' list for fall 2013.

In addition to this news, two manufacturing companies have recently stepped forward to create annual scholarships for our students:  Advanced Superabrasives (ASI), a company located in Mars Hill who manufactures resin bonded diamond and CBN grinding wheels, and Plasticard-Locktech International (PLI), a company located in Asheville that is currently the world's largest manufacture of hotel keycards in addition to be a leading specialty printer of plastic and paper products.  In addition to this support, both ASI and PLI were 2014 Job Fair participants and they continue to utilize our Job Board for hiring A-B Tech students.  A-B Tech has also partnered with PLI for workforce training. 

The 11th annual K. Ray Bailey / A-B Tech Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament - which supports the students of A-B Tech through the Foundation's scholarship program - is coming up on June 6, 2014 at Mount Mitchell Golf Course.  We expect 144 local leaders, community members and business owners, as well as more than 30 volunteers, to participate.

In the past 10 years, this tournament has raised more than $340,000 for student scholarships at A-B Tech.  Last year, the K. Ray Bailey Invitational Golf Tournament Scholarship was awarded to 40 students who may not have been able to attend college otherwise.  With more than 68% of our students needing financial assistance in order to attend college, the success of this tournament makes a huge impact in many of our students' lives.