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Featured photo: Apprentices during the graduation ceremony in the Steven B. Wyatt Auditorium. (Photo by: Rich Keen.)
On July 23, 2025, Apprenticeship Blue Ridge, part of Blue Ridge Community College, held a graduation ceremony in the Steven D. Wyatt Auditorium for the Summer 2025 graduates of the Automotive, Business & Banking, and Early Childhood Education cohorts.
Executive Vice President of Programs Dr. Connie Wolfe welcomed graduates and attendees to the ceremony and congratulated the apprentices on their hard work.
“Balancing a job, classes, and personal commitments to achieve this milestone demonstrates your perseverance and dedication,” Dr. Wolfe said.
Graduates Jessika Harris, Maleena Payne, and Cristobal Trejo gave remarks about their valuable time as apprentices.
Trejo, an Automotive apprentice, said he joined the program to learn how to fix cars and is now leaving not only with that skill, but with so much more.
Payne, a Business & Banking apprentice, thanked her professors, employers, and all who guided her along the way.
Harris, an Elementary Childhood Education apprentice, shared her experience of applying knowledge from her classes in her own classroom.
“How special is it that one day, we’re students in the classroom, exchanging ideas with our peers and instructors, and the next, we step into the role of teacher, putting that knowledge into action?” Harris said. “Studying a career is one thing; living it firsthand is something else entirely.”
Brenda Blackburn, dean of business and service careers, and Adam Riddle, automotive instructor, both congratulated the graduates and encouraged them as they take the next steps in their careers.
The Automotive Apprenticeship program is a two-year program covering six semesters, 720 contact hours, and 4,000 hours of on-the-job training.
The Business & Banking program is a one-year program covering three semesters, 320 contact hours, and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training
The Early Childhood Education program is a one-year program covering three semesters, 256 contact hours, and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training.
Upon completion of their on-the-job training, each graduate will receive a Journeyworker’s Certificate, a nationally recognized credential. Additionally, these programs are “stackable,” meaning the classes can count towards an associate degree at Blue Ridge.
Apprenticeship Coordinator Cassandra Townsend closed the program with words of encouragement before presenting the certificates.
“You don’t just hold a job—you hold a purpose. Whether you’re fixing cars, handling someone’s first mortgage, improving operations on the job, or reading ‘Brown Bear’ for the tenth time this week, you make life work for the rest of us,” Townsend said.
The graduates and their guests finished the evening with a celebratory reception.
The graduating cohorts included:
2024 Business & Banking Cohort
Wesley Fuge, Business & Banking – First Citizens Bank
Kylie Landreth, Business & Banking – Elkamet, Inc.
Maleena Payne, Business & Banking – First Bank
2024 Early Childhood Education Cohort
Nicole Ayon, Early Childhood Education – WNC Source
Kylie Davis, Early Childhood Education – WNC Source
Jessika Harris, Early Childhood Education – Nessa’s Young’uns
Asusena Villanueva, Early Childhood Education – Nessa’s Young’uns
2023 Automotive Cohort
Adolfo Alfonso, Automotive – Fields Automotive
Ryan Silva, Automotive – Harry’s on the Hill
Cristobal Trejo, Automotive – Fred Anderson Toyota of Asheville
Salvador Geronimo, Automotive – Parks Ford
Daniel Bolanos Hernandez, Automotive – Parks Ford
Jordi Romero Trejo, Automotive – Fields Automotive