Jonathan Breeden: [00:00:00] On this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast, our guest is Joy Callahan of Callahan Connections. Many of you may have known Joy from her time working at Johnston Community College as the head of the Workforce Development Center, and we talked to her a little bit about how that came to be and what she did there and how the Workforce Development Center can help small businesses right now in Johnston County today. We also talked to her about her time working as the executive director of the Johnston Community College Foundation, which she just recently retired from. That helps provide scholarships to students that go to Johnston Community College. We also talked to Joy about the Commissioner’s Promise where Johnston County High School graduates can attend Johnston Community College for free for the first two years and her current work with the Johnston County Economic Development Office on Workforce Development and helping identify what kind of workers all these new businesses moving the Johnston County need, how we can find and train those workers and keep those workers right here [00:01:00] in Johnston County.
If you’re interested in the economic growth of Johnston County or you’re a small business owner in Johnston County, I think you will find this conversation with her interesting and fascinating. She really has her finger on the pulse of everything about workforce development and building a small business in Johnston County.
So listen in.
Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.
Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden. And on today’s episode we have Joy Callahan, who’s now working with the Johnston County Economic Development Board here in Johnston County [00:02:00] about how to bring jobs to North Carolina bring jobs to Johnston County.
Workforce training, which is crucial to bringing in new jobs. And she has just retired for the second time from Johnston Community College. So we’ll talk to her about her time at Johnston Community College and the Workforce Development Center and being the I guess executive director of the Johnston County Community College Foundation for a while until just a few months ago.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: But before we do that, I would like you to like, follow, subscribe to this podcast wherever you see it. Whether it be on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok X or any of the other social media channels of The Best of Johnston County Podcast.
The Best of Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday. And has now for over 18 months. We’re well over 70 episodes now to go back and listen to some of our previous guests. I think you’ll find it interesting. We had Representative Donna White, we had Chris Johnson, who’s the head of the Economic Development Board for Johnston County.
We also had Ed Aldridge who’s who’s also on the Economic Development Board. We had Patrick Harris, Johnston County Commissioner, Ted Godwin, Johnston County Commissioner. Now [00:03:00] Congressman Brad Knott. We’ve had a lot of great guests, so go back and listen to those and some of the ones we have coming up in the future.
If you love Johnston County as much as I do, this is the podcast for you. Welcome, Joy.
Joy Callahan: Thank you. Good to be here.
Jonathan Breeden: I got the intro outta the way. So anyway, you and I could talk for hours. We’ve been friends for a very long time.
Joy Callahan: Yes.
Jonathan Breeden: This podcast cannot go for hours. I’m not Joe Rogan.
Joy Callahan: So we’ll just start
Jonathan Breeden: with what’s your name and what do you do?
Joy Callahan: Okay, well, I’m Joy Callahan, like you said, and recently retired again. I retired back in 20 one from JCC and where I had about a 24 year career in workforce development. And then started working with Chris Johnson at Economic Development between my going back to the foundation at Johnston Community College where I was for the past year a little over year and a half.
And recently retired again in January. So now I’m back with Chris,
Jonathan Breeden: back with the good economic develop
Joy Callahan: with economic development in workforce development where I think that’s just my love, my passion, my bailiwick. So [00:04:00] I’d be there.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, you’ve done a lot for Johnston County over the years, but I think you started out as a school teacher.
Joy Callahan: I did. Right? I did. I started out teaching high school in Manteo, North Carolina. So lived in Kill Devil Hills and taught high school for a couple of years and then moved to Raleigh got married and worked at NC State. So you know, I am a ECU pirate, but I did work at NC State and I worked in cooperative education for five years there. Worked with all the students in school of Design architecture the civil environmental engineering students. I helped them find jobs while they were in school. So they’d work a semester and then they’d go to school a semester. And that was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed that. And then made a transition to JCC in 19 99, March of 99 came here and just started as the industry training coordinator and loved that. I love working with our industry here in the county and just we did lots of fun stuff. We, my first job [00:05:00] was working with Novo Nordisk and at that time, and I tell these people when they come and we walked through the workforce development Center.
When they look over and they see the growth of Novo, because if you’re standing in the Workforce Development Center and you look out the back window, you can see just the tremendous growth of that and, and and it continues to grow. But my first job there with Novo was to do a training program with them.
They had 147 employees. And with their newest announcement, you know, they’re gonna be well over three, 4,000 just in our area alone. So it’s just amazing how much they have grown. And I mean, the economy has just boomed in the Clayton area. I. Mainly because of all the people that have come into the town because of the growth of Novo.
So just things like that, that have made us boom. You know, our county is growing by leaps and bounds. Heard a number while ago that we are the seventh fastest growing [00:06:00] county in the country. So, whatever we’re doing it right because people continue to come.
Jonathan Breeden: They do continue to come here.
They keep coming here and, and I know you and Chris Johnson’s number one job is to turn all those cars driving to Raleigh to work every day around. So they would work in Johnston County. And I know y’all have worked very, very hard to get more jobs at Johnston County, more high paying jobs in Johnston County.
Joy Callahan: Right. Quality jobs.
Jonathan Breeden: Well one of the things you did when you were at JCC is. You started the Workforce Development Center,
Joy Callahan: Right. Well,
Jonathan Breeden: we it sort of evolved outta what you were doing, but you ultimately were the first director of that I, what to call it?
Joy Callahan: I was actually, yeah. Was in very instrumental in the design and the build and then eventually I oversaw all the operations there and the programming and that Workforce Development Center.
Was such a great partnership between our local government, our local industry, our public schools, JCC. This was a true picture [00:07:00] of how when you come together to make something happen, it can be a very positive thing. And so we started there. In July of 2005 is when we opened the building and the week we started, we actually did training for Novo Nordisk for 24/7.
So we were there 24/7. Just making sure that all of their shifts had the training that they needed. And ever since then, it’s been growing by leaps and bounds. Back in 20 I think it was 1718, we did a one and a half million dollar renovation.
Jonathan Breeden: Right.
Joy Callahan: Where we built a simulated work environment that students could come in and really get a good understanding of what it’s like walking into a Grifols or a Novo and get that hands-on experience there so they wouldn’t make the million dollar problems when they go next door to Grifols or Novo.
So it was a really. Just a great way for a student to get a good understanding of what it’s like to have, to gown, have to work in an environment where your, you know, motions [00:08:00] matter and that sort of thing. So it just was the Workforce Development Center has been a jewel from Johnston County. Oh.
Jonathan Breeden: Oh. It’s, It’s unbelievable. I mean, and it is the reason. That we got the second, we got the first Novo expansion, which is right there across the street from the original Novo.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: And now we’re getting a third expansion
Joy Callahan: Right
Jonathan Breeden: or a second expansion. Because they need to make Ozempic, which is the most popular drug there is.
And you know, Novo is one of the two or three biggest companies in all of Europe.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: I don’t know if people realize that, I mean, European business I guess is not a thing, but like when you read about the largest companies in all of Europe, Novo Nordisk is either first or second
Joy Callahan: Okay
Jonathan Breeden: depending on what metrics you’re looking at.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And it’s growing so fast, and part of the reason it’s growing is the work that we’re doing right here in Johnston County and the workforce of people don’t know is a classroom building that has simulated, like it has like the working things and Novo does biopharmaceuticals. So there’s they grow, [00:09:00] they literally grow the medicine, you know, I guess in these tanks, I guess whatever, yeast or whatever.
Joy Callahan: Yeah,
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. And I’m not a sorry chemist, I’m a lawyer but they have. And this new develop in the workforce, they have the different machines that the people would work on that they have to work on. They have to wear the outfits. I used to call ’em space suits. So when you work at Novo or Grifols, because you’re working in Biopharmaceuticals and everything has to be a clean room and you have, everything has to be clean.
You have to have shoes that never leave, the place you put on these suits and hats and it looks like you’re going into outer space because you can’t contaminate what you’re working with.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: They have all of that there. And so those students come over there now and they go through the whole thing and they work on the equipment and they practice making it and spooning it out and all the stuff they have to do.
And that’s phenomenal to have that kind of, they don’t have that really in other places.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Which is one of the reasons why I think. We keep getting these extra expansions and stuff.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. We’re very fortunate in that our commissioners and the county saw fit to make this a [00:10:00] reality.
This building a reality. The land sits on property that was donated by Nova Nordisk and they actually have what’s called the RTZ. It’s a research training zone that was zoned such that the companies that are in this zone tax themselves to pay for the operations and maintenance of that building.
So it’s a very great win-win situation. And thousands of students have gone through what we call the Bioworks certificate program. That’s a statewide certification that was developed back in the late nineties. So we have been offering that we were the first to offer that as a community college, and we have been offering it for the last 25 years.
And so it has been extremely beneficial for our students to get that certificate and then go to work at either Grifols, Novo or any of the other pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, and these are extremely high paying jobs, and you don’t have to have a ton of education. Literally, the Bio Works certificate.
I mean, the [00:11:00] first semester is largely a repeat of high school chemistry along with a few other things. And so you can do it, you can take it at night, two or three nights a week.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: You don’t have to quit your job.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: And you, know there’s the second semester as well, and usually after the first semester, you know enough that they’ll hire you and like like almost any job there starts at $25 an hour.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: With full benefits.
So I mean, it’s a really good thing.
Joy Callahan: So, and that was one of the things I was gonna say if you’re out there and you’re looking for a really good career opportunity, the Bioworks certificate program is one semester, it’s a hundred and I think 58 hours.
It’s about $300 for the class and the book. And once you get through it the folks out there at the Workforce Development Center bring the folks from Grifols and Novo on site to interview you. So it’s something that you could go ahead and get and walk right into a wonderful good paying career.
Jonathan Breeden: Right.
Joy Callahan: And we are also offering it JCC in the public schools have a partnership now that we offer it at every high school. So essentially a student could graduate [00:12:00] in May walk across the stage with a high school diploma and a certificate and walk right into a job at November.
Jonathan Breeden: I mean, that’s, that’s unbelievable and that’s tremendous for us. And we’re very fortunate for that. The workforce also offers business coaching entrepreneurs and small business. Well for free.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: They have classes of social media and marketing and branding yourself.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: And how to make a budget and how a business plan. So you get a loan from a bank, they do all of that for free.
They’re right there in Clayton on Palatine Road. So if you think about starting a business or want some information on how to do it. Reach out. They’ll be glad to help.
Joy Callahan: Absolutely.
Jonathan Breeden: I didn’t bring that program forever. You and I worked together very closely there when I was on the community college board.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: From 2015 to 2019. That was great. That was a lot of, so, alright, so move forward to you then start working, doing more. You retire from the college and go and you start and then you and I end up together again because I’m on at.
[00:13:00] Advisory board I was on that from 20 20, 20 22.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And you came to work there with Chris Johnson,
Joy Callahan: Right
Jonathan Breeden: the economic development director for Johnston County.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And at that point you started working on this new project that you’re still working on.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And I listening in and trying to put my 2 cents in. So tell the people about that, about how we gotta have a workforce for these employers.
Joy Callahan: So we hired Ted Abernathy’s group back in 22 to start to look at a strategic plan around workforce development for our county. Because with a county that has less than 3.5% unemployment, as you can tell, it’s gonna be difficult to make sure that we can assure these companies that are coming in that we’ve got the talent when we have a huge number of people, like you said earlier, that turn and go out of the count out of the county to work.
Roughly 65% of our workforce goes outta the county to work. We’re fortunate that a lot of people come into the county, so you don’t hear that [00:14:00] number as much as you do the one out. But Chris and I jokingly said when I started working with them, you know, what if by 2030, 30% of those folks could at least come back? And I was like, well, let’s do that as a goal. Let’s see what we can do.
And in making those jobs here. Really great paying jobs that you don’t have to sit in traffic going to RTP every day. And you get to see your kids’ baseball game and you know, those kinds of things. So let’s see how we can do. And so we’ve been working on that. But part of the strategic plan was that we just wanted to make sure that we were doing everything we can to make sure that we’ve got the talent here.
And out of that plan came a few things that we were to work on. One was work-based learning. Work-based learning, for those of you that don’t know, is something that is very important to, especially our high school students because they’re not quite sure what they want to do. And it can be anything from job shadowing to an internship, to apprenticeship to just a part-time job.
So that was one [00:15:00] thing that we were really wanting to focus on. And the Triangle East Chamber has made it a point to focus on summer internships for our students this coming up summer. And so it’s, that is we had, I think 12 companies that participated last year, and they want to have at least 20, 25 companies that participate.
This summer because we have a lot of students in what are called academies throughout the public schools, they have different types of academies, whether it be engineering academy or hospitality academy, that part of their requirement is for them to do some type of internship. So that was a big thing in making sure that work-based learning piece.
The other is apprenticeship. And some of you say, well, what’s the difference between internship and apprenticeship? Well, apprenticeship is a longer term work-based learning opportunity where you get training that is associated with what you’re doing on the job. So that’s an apprenticeship program.
And the Clayton Chamber is actually [00:16:00] taking that on and wants to increase the number of students in apprenticeship in our areas of HVAC and electrical wiring and plumbing and all those trade areas that we’ve seen. You know, the population of people that do that, their ages are getting older and older and older, and you’re kind of worried about, okay, is somebody gonna be able to come and fix my toilet when it’s, you know, broken or my air condition when it’s 90 degrees outside?
That’s something that the Clayton Chamber has focused on. And just any, just yesterday, our Rotary Club. I’m a member of the Central Johnston Rotary Club in Smithfield, and our rotary club had a shadow day, so there was about 30 students there that shadowed different types of our Rotarians professions.
And they came back and talked to us about what they had seen and it just was a great thing. So I challenge anyone here that has a business to reach out to your schools and just bring some folks [00:17:00] in either internship or job shadowing or anything like that, because we really need to get these students in here and learning what there is opportunity wise, because we don’t want them to be part of that 60,000 that leave us and don’t come back.
Jonathan Breeden: No, and that’s, and that’s very important and I think you’re doing a good job. And, And there’s the, Oh, there’s a thing at the community college every November for eighth graders.
Joy Callahan: Joco works. Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Joco works where you have all the industry set up and the kids.
Joy Callahan: Yep.
Jonathan Breeden: You have to educate the children and the parents about the jobs that are here in Johnston County.
Joy Callahan: Absolutely.
Jonathan Breeden: And there are a lot of really good jobs and high paying jobs right here, and I don’t think people realize that particularly, you know, some of the people live on the edges out here in Cleveland who sort of just sleep here. They shop and work in Raleigh and they don’t realize all the things that we have from our community college to our great hospitals.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: To Novo Nordisk, to Grifols, to whatever. And so I think part of what you’ve been trying to do and Chris Johnson and the Board of Commissioners as well, is try to educate the public what I’m trying to do with this podcast about what there is [00:18:00] here in Johnston County to do. I mean, we always have high school kids here.
Every year internship, if people are interested in gonna law school, they come here they, they help us with filing and doing some of the stuff here. And you know, I’ve always enjoyed having them and trying to convince ’em to go to NC State. So go to NC State. The last two have gone to Chapel Hill.
I was unable to talk ’em out of it.
Joy Callahan: Oh.
Jonathan Breeden: But, But you know, it’s but I think that’s, I think that’s important that kids have. They just need to know.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: You know what I mean? And then they need to know that you don’t have to have a four year degree to make a lot of money.
Joy Callahan: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: And the one thing I learned on the board of the community college is how many people were coming back to take classes at the community college who had a four year degree that wasn’t worth a whole lot in the free market.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: That were coming back to become nurses and ultrasound technicians
Joy Callahan: Yeah
Jonathan Breeden: and maybe be HVAC or welders or whatever, because they needed a skillset that would pay them more money than whatever degree they’d gotten at a four year school.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And, And that was the most surprising thing to me when I first got on the board. I think you talked about that at one of our board meetings. [00:19:00] You and the and Lynn And I was like. Golly, like,
Joy Callahan: Yep
Jonathan Breeden: and y’all had the numbers and it was, I don’t remember, but it was staggering the number of people that were taking classes at Johnston Community College that already had four degrees.
So you don’t have to get a four degree, you don’t have to go into debt to go work at these things. We just told you. You can go work at Grifol Novo. Great jobs, make great money, great benefits from the leading companies in the world with a one semester bioworks certificate.
Joy Callahan: Yep.
Jonathan Breeden: Which is chemistry. So anyway, so what else are you working on?
Joy Callahan: It’s not really chemistry. I mean it’s,
Jonathan Breeden: it’s kind of chemistry
Joy Callahan: it’s, there may be a little bit of that.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah.
Joy Callahan: But I mean, it’s a lot about, you know, metrics. The things that you will use while you’re on the job. How? How to make sure that you are in a sterile environment, working in a sterile
Jonathan Breeden: That’s true
Joy Callahan: those kinds of things. That’s so, so don’t let that scare you.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. I know. Chemistry, I think of it because they somehow, they make it grow into a yeast and then that’s where the medicine comes from. And I’ve taken the tour and I forgot high school biology. In chemistry, like how they make that work and they grow the organisms and all that stuff.
Joy Callahan: A lot, A lot of students that kind of scares ’em because [00:20:00] they think they’re gonna have to know a lot of science and math.
Jonathan Breeden: Right?
Joy Callahan: But it’s not as heavy as you would think. So I would say if it’s something that interests you go and just check it out because like I said it’s, it’s affordable and it’s a short class and you won’t waste a lot of time.
And the really cool thing about the buy work is that if you take that certificate, they will give you credit for the degree program if you wanted to continue on. So that’s, you’re not wasting time, you’re getting something that, that could also lead you into an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. So great program
Jonathan Breeden: And they’ll pay for you to get those degrees, if I’m not mistaken.
Joy Callahan: Usually, yes. You go to work
Jonathan Breeden: doing a good job they will pay for it
Joy Callahan: no gratefuls they’ll they do have tuition assistance and that’s one of their benefits, so.
Jonathan Breeden: Right.
Have family law questions? Need guidance to navigate legal challenges? The compassionate team at Breeden Law Office is here to help. Visit us at www. breedenfirm. com for practical advice, resources, or [00:21:00] to book a consultation. Remember, when life gets messy, you don’t have to face it alone.
Jonathan Breeden: So now you’re back working with Chris and you’re working on I mean, you have this group that meets to try to solve
Joy Callahan: We do
Jonathan Breeden: the number one problems. And when you talk about Ted Abernathy, Ted Abernathy is an eco, he’s an economist. He’s in Raleigh. He studies growth patterns and workforce needs for the entire country. I think he may actually live in Shallotte now.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: But he’s a fascinating man. I’ve heard him speak for 20 years.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: And I, I find it absolutely I mesmerized at the stuff he knows and the patterns. And because he studies the whole country, he knows what’s good. He knows what’s bad. He knows what’s gonna happen.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: As much as he can, always economists know what happens, but he’s been a big help. So what is this group that meets and what are they called and what are y’all trying to solve?
Joy Callahan: So, well, since 2015, we have pulled together a group of workforce partners which now we call the Johnston County Workforce Alliance. And those are, you know, public schools, charter [00:22:00] school the economic development office JCC, the chambers, all the chambers of commerce are on it.
The capillary workforce board, NC Works. We have folks from every area that we can pull together. JCI next gen. So anybody that we know that will help us move the needle a little bit further in making sure that we are or making the talent right for the county. Another area that we found that we needed to work on was making sure that what we’re offering in the high schools and the college were aligned with what the industry needed.
And so, you know, we at the college, we’ve always been really good at talking with our industry and making sure, like bio work was something that came out of those discussions with those pharmaceutical manufacturing plants across North Carolina. Because like I said, it is a statewide certification, but we have always sat down with our industry and made sure that what we’re offering is what the, what is needed.
And so out of a discussion with industry we are now almost [00:23:00] ready to open the advanced manufacturing center down in Forex. And that is the I-95, I-40 Alliance down there have worked to build a beautiful facility that’s 70,000 square feet right off of I-95. So if you’re going down 95 at Four Oaks, you’ll see it’s beautiful.
But it’s going to house a lot of the JCC. Things like welding and machining and robotics and those kinds of things. Anything that’s advanced manufacturing just because we’ve listened to what they have said to us that these are the things that we need and we need more space and we need more students.
And we’re very space limited for those programs at the college. So that’s another area that we are really working with the public schools as well as to what they offer for career and technical education, CTE and for you old people like me, it used to be vocational education, so, no.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah.
Joy Callahan: And I was a vocational education teacher, so that’s where I my, I started was so [00:24:00] anyway we’ve tried to work with them and make sure that what they’re teaching aligns with what JCC’s teaching. So it’s kind of a nice transition between the co the public schools and the college going into the workforce.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, and we need that. And you’re right, with unemployment at 3.5% basically is zero if you go back to your college economics class.
’cause a certain percentage of people who are getting unemployment are not, actually, weren’t looking for work.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: And so you do have to have. The workforce to be able to work in these plants and provide it. And that’s the number one thing. You know, when I was on the JCC board of Trustees, you were there.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: You know, we had one of the HR directors from Novo Nordisk that was there.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: And he was talking about how hard it was to fill these positions and
Joy Callahan: Oh, yeah
Jonathan Breeden: how hard they were having to look and we were trying to figure out how we could train the people here ’cause we knew the talent was here.
We just needed to educate the public that this was here and how to do it.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm. Right.
Jonathan Breeden: And, I think you and Chris Johnson and the community college and the public schools have done a really good job of that, a much better job over the last 4 [00:25:00] or 5 years than what was being done in the previous 10 years for absolute sure.
Joy Callahan: Right.
Jonathan Breeden: Because when I was on the board from 2015 to 2019 I did not think we were doing as good a job as y’all are doing now. And of course, you’ve learned Right. All of this sort of develops.
Joy Callahan: Yeah. And I think, when we were growing up, our parents told us four year degree, you’ve gotta have a four year degree. You’ve gotta in
Jonathan Breeden: right.
Joy Callahan: And I think we did a disservice to our trades areas that actually you don’t need a four-year degree. You might need additional training, but not quite a four-year degree. And so I think parents are beginning to see that, and you’re seeing, I think a turnaround.
Not as much as we need, but I’ve, it’s a little more than we had and I think that’s gonna be a really big definer of what’s gonna happen in the near future for our workforce. Because one thing that I was going to also talk about was that has been huge for Johnston Community College and for the county is the Joco Commissioner’s Promise. I don’t know if anybody has spoken with you [00:26:00] about that, but So couple of years ago, the county commissioners saw it to say, you know, if you are a graduate of any Johnston County High School.
Homeschool charter school, private school, it doesn’t matter. We are gonna pay your tuition and fees to go to Johnston Community College. Right? If you go right outta high school, we’re gonna pay that. And it is a last dollar scholarship. So the requirement is that the students complete what they call the FAFSA.
And the FAFSA is the financial aid. Thing that you get money from the federal government and some of a lot of people qualify, so you just have to fill that out and the, if you don’t get a dime, they still will pay for your tuition and your fees to go to JCC. And that’s for a whole two years. I mean, it’s such a game changer for people that never thought they would go to college.
Jonathan Breeden: Right.
Joy Callahan: Or people that wanted to go to college but couldn’t afford it.
Jonathan Breeden: Right.
Joy Callahan: Or, you know, even just if you’re [00:27:00] coming for two year degree, or if you’re coming for a certificate, or if you’re coming for a two year plus if you wanna go on that has just been, I think over the last two years we have seen enrollments boom at the college. And a lot of it is because of that commissioner’s promise.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. It’s great. And a lot of other counties have gone to that as well. And that’s been really good because
Joy Callahan: lemme tell you a quick story, I mean. So my daughters, both my daughters took advantage of what we call the Career and College Promise classes.
Now, these are the high school classes that the college actually teaches. They’ll either go onsite and teach it at the high school, or they’ll do it online. So my oldest daughter took advantage of it when she graduated from high school. She had a whole year of college classes. Completely free books and everything completely free.
And then she went to JCC and became an ambassador and finished JCC in one year. So she got her associate’s degree after that one year. Transferred to ECU Go Pirates. And then in two [00:28:00] years she finished her bachelor’s. So really it was only in school three years.
Jonathan Breeden: Correct.
Joy Callahan: And saved us just a buku of money to send her away to a school. And she was, unfortunately, it was during COVID, so she was home for one year of that. So really in all total, it was a little less than $20,000 for a four year degree.
Jonathan Breeden: It’s phenomenal. Can’t that Right?
Joy Callahan: You can’t beat,
Jonathan Breeden: cannot beat that.
You can’t beat it. And that leads us to, one of the last questions we’ll ask is you just, were the head of the foundation and one of the things the Johnston Community College Foundation does is provide scholarships for students to go to the community college and help out and it’s got, it does tremendous work.
Just briefly tell me what the foundation does and how people can give to that, because that makes a difference as well. They also we’ll fix your car if you need to get to, if you’re almost about ready to graduate and your car breaks down like they do so many things you don’t even think about would stop a kid from finishing the foundation’s there to help.
Joy Callahan: Absolutely. [00:29:00] So the foundation at the college was established to do just what you’ve said is to make sure that the students that want to go to college have a way to go to college with and don’t have to worry about money being a burden. We have some of the best donors in the world and, you know, 3 to $400,000 in scholarships every year that we give out to students.
And that really helps students to get their degrees. We do have the student emergency support fund, like you were talking about, that if a student has an emergency while they’re in class, they can come to the foundation and we help them to make sure that they can fix that car or have transportation, or pay that medical bill or pay that electrical bill, those kinds of things.
So that is something that’s very very much needed. So if you want to donate to JCC, which is a wonderful college. I cannot tell you I’ve had the best career there. And I’ve just seen so many great things come outta that college. Please do. The money that [00:30:00] you give, it goes to really good use by having these students have the opportunity to come.
I mean, and it’s not just, even though. Even though the county commissioners have given that money for the, you know, the, the,
Jonathan Breeden: but that’s just for the high school kids.
Joy Callahan: That’s just the high school kids.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? That’s not for adults coming back.
Joy Callahan: The majority of our students are adults.
Jonathan Breeden: Correct.
Joy Callahan: And so when they come back to school they do need those supports, especially when they’ve got kids and they’ve got a family and they’ve got working full time and they’ve got so many things that they’ve got that are going against.
And one thing that we can help them with is tuition. So that I would.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, it’s great. It’s great. And the foundation’s done a great job and it does a big help.
Joy Callahan: Absolutely.
Jonathan Breeden: And I’m happy you went back and helped after Twyla Wells left and hopefully by the time this airs, we’ll have a new director of the foundation.
We’ll be glad to work with you if you’d like to give money and if you just go meet these young people and adults as well.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: And the stories they tell, it’s just unbelievable what they’ve overcome to be there to get an education.
Joy Callahan: Absolutely.
Jonathan Breeden: And [00:31:00] of course, you know, JCC has a pretty robust food bank right now.
Joy Callahan: Mm-hmm.
Jonathan Breeden: So don’t forget about that. Like it’s, I mean, they need that too and it helps fund the food bank as well.
Joy Callahan: Yes.
Jonathan Breeden: It’s there’s a lot of food insecurity out there in this world that many people may not realize. The last question I ask everybody is. What do you love most about John County?
Joy Callahan: Oh my gosh, there’s so much. When we moved, I’ve been in Johnston County since 1998, so I was born and raised in Lenoir County, which is a very rural, very small county. And when we first moved here, I. The thing I loved was driving to my house and seeing all the farms and the cows and I know that sounds crazy, but it was like, wow, I found my home, you know? And so both of my children were born, raised, went to public school here, went to JCC you know, so we’ve been very ingrained in Johnston County, and I cannot tell you how wonderful it’s been to be here and be a part of such a great county that cares about so many things, so.
Jonathan Breeden: [00:32:00] That’s true.
Joy Callahan: So that’s probably it.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, the people.
Joy Callahan: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: The people. These are the best people.
Joy Callahan: They are.
Jonathan Breeden: They’re the best people.
Joy Callahan: They’re good folks.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? People like you and your husband are some of the absolute best people
Joy Callahan: Thank you
Jonathan Breeden: in Johnston County. So anyway, and most everybody, it’s the people and the community
Joy Callahan: mm-hmm
Jonathan Breeden: and everything. And that’s what’s so great about this. Well, we’d like to thank Joy Callahan for being our guest on today’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. As we, well, I guess before I forget. Is there any way they can reach out to you and, and the economic development board? I forgot that.
Joy Callahan: Yeah, they, and if you have any questions about anything I’ve talked about today my email is callahanconnections21@gmail.com. I am a contractor with Chris Johnson at the economic development or you can call Chris at Johnston County Economic Development. But I do want to just remind you just few things. One is don’t forget about Joco Commissioner’s Promise. All you high school students getting ready to graduate, that is something that you need to do.
Look at that. Parents, make sure they do. Check out the small business center at JCC because that is something if you’re [00:33:00] looking at being a budding entrepreneur, Suzanne can get you straight, get you going. Take a look at the bio work curriculum that we’ve got thousands of jobs that are coming that need to be filled.
That is a wonderful paying job, a short term training opportunity. Joco works. If you are a company and you want to be a part of Joco Works, I beg you, please do. Because these students need to see this. They’re eighth graders. You might say, why are you doing eighth grade? But they’re gonna be your pipeline.
’cause those kids that started in 2019 are now freshman in college. So, you know, it’s not that far farfetched. So those are just a few things that I would love for you to take part of. If hire an intern, get a summer intern, a high school intern, college intern, get some work experience for those kids and thank you so much for having me.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, hey, no problem. No problem. So anyway, you know how to reach out to Joy and Chris Johnson. Their office is at the Johnston County Airport. Anyway, as we mentioned earlier, please like follow us, subscribe this podcast wherever you’re seeing it live as a five star review and tag us [00:34:00] in your Instagram stories, Best of Johnston County, so that, we’ll, our reach will continue to grow and more and more people will know about this podcast.
It only grows by you sharing it and commenting on it and giving us those five star reviews, which we really appreciate. Until next time, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.
That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.
If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. com.
