N.C. high school valedictorian, star athlete will begin college with associate’s degree

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - West Lincoln High School Class of 2020 valedictorian and star athlete Kelton Towery will begin his college career at North Carolina State University with an Associate in Science degree.

Not only is Towery the valedictorian of his high school graduation class, he was also a star pitcher and infielder on the West Lincoln High School baseball team.

Towery has reduced his four-year college debt by earning a two-year associate science degree from Gaston College. He’s saved two years of tuition, room and board, fees and other costs before heading off to college.

As a participant in College Now, the Gaston College Career and College Promise program, he earned dual credit by taking advanced placement classes at his high school along with courses at Gaston College.

“I began the Career and College Promise program with Gaston College in the fall of 2018,” said Towery. “I set out to take college courses with the intentions of helping minimize my college debt upon attending a four-year university. I definitely recommend the dual enrollment program to other high school students. The program just makes sense for those who qualify to take advantage of it.”

Towery was his school’s male winner of the Wendy’s Heisman High School Scholarship and the recipient of the Dixie Youth Baseball Scholarship and the Thomas E. and Betty Potts Scholarship.

Towery’s other activities and accomplishments include serving on the Christian Ministry of the Lincoln County Board, being an active member of the Cherryville Traditional New Year Shooters, and, at his high school, holding the positions of National Honor Society parliamentarian and Interact Club vice president.

He also is a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the Beta, Math, and Off-the Shelf Book clubs. He has competed in mathematics and chemistry competitions and his senior class voted him “Most Likely to Save the Planet.”

Beginning in August 2020, Towery will attend the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University, where he will double major in business management and engineering.

“An academic goal moving forward,” he said, “is to choose one field and gain a master’s degree. Thinking ahead to a career choice in which I can use both areas of expertise, I can possibly see myself doing consultant work.”