NRCC News

NRCC Class of 2023 Graduate Profile: Annalee Owens

Jun 23 2023

NRCC Class of 2023
Annalee Owens

Hometown: Floyd, Va.

High School: Floyd County High School

Degrees/Certificates/Diplomas earned: associate of arts and sciences in general studies, basic life support certificate, first aid certification

Annalee’s decision to attend NRCC was a strategic decision on her part to make college more affordable.  She used the ACCE scholarship to help pay her tuition. While at NRCC, Annalee was named to the Dean’s List. She plans to begin at Radford University in the fall as an anthropology major. Like many recent high school students, Annalee found herself taking in-person classes at NRCC soon after spending her last years of high school in a virtual setting.

“The transition from high school to college was terribly difficult for me. Not only had I missed out on many of the milestones high school seniors experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was suddenly thrust into a new school with a limited number of individuals I knew…by my second year I was prepared to truly immerse myself in my studies and make my time here worthwhile.”

Annalee found NRCC’s smaller class sizes and personal attention from faculty and staff helpful in her transition, and she enjoyed NRCC’s proximity to the familiarity of her home. 

“I took Biology II my second semester of my first year and I was so nervous. I hadn't had any kind of biology class since the beginning of my senior year of high school. I quickly realized upon meeting my professor Stuart Lynde that I had nothing to worry about. It was so easy to become interested in a class when it was being led by someone so enthusiastic about the subject. Another member of staff who I found particularly helpful and enjoyable to be around was Brennen O’Neill. Not only was she a superb advisor, but her presence was extremely comforting during stressful times.”

“I really enjoyed the smaller classes. I never had to worry about being ignored or brushed aside by an instructor because in a class of less than 20 students, it's kind of hard to. My favorite part about being a student was the school's proximity to home. If I ever felt unwell or just needed to see a friendly face, home was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.”