WINTERVILLE—As he learns how to work on automobiles at Pitt Community College, Sterling Dickinson says he is grateful to have been awarded the PCC Foundation’s 2025–26 Craig F. Goess Endowed Scholarship.
The funding, Dickinson says, has allowed him to focus more fully on his Automotive Systems Technology (AST) coursework without stressing over the rising cost of living.
“It really is a big helping factor for school …,” he says. “Not (having) to worry about just being able to pay for your education is a great relief.”
A Farmville native now living in Winterville, Dickinson says he chose PCC largely for its strong reputation in automotive training. “It’s one of the best programs in eastern North Carolina,” he said, noting that he’d grown up near the college and knew many peers who’d attended.
Dickinson’s passion for automobiles began in high school, after he received his first car and wanted to understand exactly how it worked. That interest led him into his high school’s automotive program—where he excelled—and later into the U.S. Army, where he served three years on active duty as a mechanic. Now a member of the Army Reserves, he is working part-time at Greenville Toyota as he continues to build his skills at Pitt.
He credits PCC instructor Richie Alligood with helping him make a smooth start in the AST program and with connecting him to his current job in the industry.