ALPHA Student Profile
Kip Kisor

Kip Kisor, a student in Coker's Adult Learners Program for Higher Achievement (ALPHA), has an interesting reason for pursuing his bachelor's degree.

A resident of Cheraw, S.C., Kisor owns a funeral home and works as the county coroner. Today, the state of South Carolina requires coroners to have either a degree in criminology or several years of experience in a law enforcement position. Kisor was grandfathered into his profession but wanted to exceed the expectations set by the new law.

Kisor learned about Coker’s ALPHA program while attending a presentation at the Rotary Club given by Barbara Jackowski, Associate Dean of the ALPHA program.

“I knew I would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

Coker, known for its round table, discussion-based learning environment, proved to be a good fit for Kisor. The College’s distinctive approach to learning and the professors’ dedication to student success made him confident in his decision.

“So many times in the past with education, I felt like I sat in the classroom and it never applied,” Kisor said. “Now I feel like it fits hand-in-hand – it just meshes together. That’s been a big benefit.”

Never feeling pressured to be perfect, Kisor has taken advantage of the resources offered at Coker such as writing workshops and math tutoring. The convenience of attending class close to home at the Cheraw/Northeastern Technical College (NETC) campus allows him to remain on call while still working towards his degree.

“The bar is set high, but they don’t expect you to make it in one leap,” said Kisor. “They don’t lower the standards – they give you the tools to achieve your goals.”

Written by Caitlyn Higgins, Class of '13 - Marketing & Communications Intern
For more information, contact Chris Dougherty - 843.383.8018