New coordinator starts at Washington County Center in Roper

Many smaller communities operate on a personal level, but that kind of interaction is currently undergoing a huge transformation. Cameron Bowen is the new Washington County Center Workforce & Continuing Education Coordinator for Beaufort County Community College, helping manage classes and enrollment at the center in Roper. Bowen, who started her position through video interview, is quickly learning how to make those necessary personal connections in the current digital world.

The Belhaven native started her education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, but soon stepped back to do a certification in Dental Assisting. She took a position at a rural dental clinic in Hendersonville that was entirely focused on serving migrant farm workers. This line of work gave her a sense of how to provide great service to tight-knit communities and gain their trust.

She eventually returned to UNC-Chapel Hill to finish a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, but wanted to return to working in a small town as soon as she graduated.

Her top priorities with the Washington County Center are fast tracks to jobs, as well as recreational programming. “The foundation should be classes that are looking to help people get jobs,” she said. “That way they can get jobs in the community and bring more money into the community and help revitalize. On top of that I want to have more personal enrichment. I know we haven’t done a lot of it. I’ve talked to a few people, and they think that we are only here for career development or English as a second language. We can reach a different audience through these classes.”

Bowen understands that outreach for upcoming classes is going to be harder than ever. For now, she is doing many tasks remotely from BCCC’s main campus in Washington, but she has already helped fill up a Notary Public class that may have been postponed without her efforts by reaching out to people in the community directly.

Through her work at the dental clinic, Bowen knows that getting a community to embrace a center takes time, reliable service from the center and a willingness to provide great customer service to every person who seeks out the center.

BCCC’s Washington County Center regularly holds Defensive Driving classes for people looking to clean up their driving record. The next class will take place on September 19 through the Zoom video platform, with monthly classes occurring through December. Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers takes place on September 23. The general public can take the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver CPR/AED on October 28. The center also has GED/High School Equivalency classes on Monday through Wednesday. The Washington County Center is located at 100 NC Hwy. 32 N. in Roper. Cameron Bowen can be reached at 252-940-6245 or cameron.bowen@beaufortccc.edu. Participants can also register for classes or get more information by calling 252-940-6375.