MECC Student Fallon Fox Earns Top Score, National Scholarship

Big Stone Gap — Mountain Empire Community College is proud to announce that student Fallon Fox has been named the 2022 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar for Virginia. Fallon was the top scoring student in the All-USA Academic Team Competition for the Commonwealth.

This special award, which includes a $1,250 scholarship is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation through Phi Theta Kappa, is given to one student in each state. Fallon, of Big Stone Gap, is currently enrolled in Medical Office Coding in Procedures program at MECC and has plans to pursue an Administrative Technology Associate degree.  She is a member of MECC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and served as a member of the college’s All-Virginia Academic Team.

Fallon is a first-generation college student, who has overcome several obstacles during her life to reach her educational and career goals, including homelessness, addiction, and a learning disability. She is involved in MECC’s Great Expectations program, which serves students who are involved in Virginia’s foster care system. Fallon was named the 2022 Great Expectations Student Leader and was honored to receive the Virginia Foundation for Community College’s Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship.

“I have not had it easy, and you could say that I was dealt a ‘bad hand,” said Fallon. “But I have taken my past and tried to change my life in more positive ways … I’m trying to change for the better.”

“We are so proud of Fallon and her amazing accomplishments. She is an incredible example of resiliency and sets an example for all students that you can achieve much with the right attitude and support,” said MECC President Kristen Westover.

The 2022 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions on a national scale as they plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate. New Century Workforce Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,200 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Workforce Scholar was selected from each state.

“We congratulate Fallon for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with The Coca-Cola Foundation to recognize her outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for students to succeed as they prepare to enter the workforce and for putting college completion within reach.”

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.

Mountain Empire Community College is a two-year public college serving Wise, Lee, Scott, and Dickenson County as well as the city of Norton. For more information on MECC’s programs, or student organizations, visit www.mecc.edu or call (276) 523-2400.

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