Derval A Hamilton

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“I believe that education is one of the most valuable things a person can ever have, because it cannot be taken away.”

  • Program: 2009 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Greenviille, NC
  • Hometown: Port Antonio, Jamaica
  • Age: 27

Biography

 

PROFILE: Derval Hamilton was only 15 when his father died in his native Jamaica. His mother was living in the United States at the time and entrusted a relative of Derval’s to care for him. What happened over the next two years, before Derval came to America, was a nightmare. Derval said he was neglected by his relative, became ill, and forced to fend for himself. Thanks to some caring neighbors, he survived the ordeal, and finished high school with honors. The next phase of his life was the move to North Carolina and enrollment at Catawba Valley Community College where everything seemed to fall into place. He became a campus leader and was one of the most well-known students on the Hickory, NC campus. 

 


INSPIRATION: Derval said his late father is his inspiration and always will be. “Even though he passed when I was 15, I am still guided by the basic values he instilled in me when growing up and while working with him on the farm in Jamaica. I believe these values played a huge part in building my character and making me the type of person that I am today.”

ASPIRATION: It is Derval’s goal to become a physical therapist and he is currently majoring in exercise physiology at East Carolina University.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE:   Derval’s list of civic and volunteer activities is as lengthy as his list of honors and awards. In fact, he was awarded the Community Impact Service Award for his valuable contributions of leadership and service to his community and two-year campus.

ACCOLADES: Derval is the first member of his family to attend college, and he’s made the most of the opportunity so far. Just a partial list of the many kudos Derval has earned include the Catawba Valley Community College President’s Award and the North Carolina Community College System Academic Excellence Award.

INTERESTING FACT: Derval confesses that there are the two things in life he dislikes the most: 1. Frogs, and 2. Mushrooms. 

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