Brighton Berthrong of King has been selected Lenoir Community College’s Academic Excellence Award recipient for 2024. He is recognized as one of the Great 58 in the North Carolina Community College System.

The Academic Excellence award is presented annually to a currently enrolled student who demonstrates dedication to their educational goals in an associate degree program and maintaining a cumulative grade point average of a 3.25 or higher. 

Berthrong has been a star athlete and starting catcher for the Lancer’s baseball team the past two years, and he will complete the requirements for his associate in arts in Business Administration this summer.  He was named to the NJCAA All-Academic’s First Team, by maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average, which highlights his ability to maintain academic excellence while participating in demanding athletic schedules.

Despite being involved in baseball and working part-time at LCC, Berthrong was able to demonstrate high academic achievement.  He plans to attend a four-year university and pursue his CPA and bachelor’s degree in accounting.

“Being a student at Lenoir Community College has been a transformative experience for me,” he said. “As an incoming freshman in the fall of 2022, I vowed that I would value my academics to the highest standards throughout the pursuit of acquiring my associate degree. Maintaining a 4.0 grade point average while being a full-time student and athlete at the college allows me to confidently say that the standard held through.”

Berthrong said the past two years have intellectually benefited him more than just through material in a textbook. “I have gained an understanding of the concept of discipline and accomplishing set goals. These are traits that will follow me for the remainder of my life,” he said.

“Although this journey has been a rewarding one, it comes with many hardships and challenges. If it wasn’t for the culture set by LCC, then I wouldn’t be in the spot I am today,” he said. “The guidance and support that the staff, from professors to janitors, has left an impression on me that can never be forgotten. Through all the academic success that I have showcased, obtaining this Academic Excellence Award outshines all others. I am humbled and beyond appreciative of the recognition of such a prestigious award.”