In this episode, we chat with Hylah Birenbaum, Executive Director of the HCC Foundation about the upcoming year of events to celebrate and recognize HCC's 60 Years of Impact.

Haywood Community College is celebrating 60 years of impact in Haywood County in the 2025-2026 academic year. To acknowledge this milestone, HCC will host a special event and conduct various recognitions throughout the year.

The kick-off celebration event will occur on Thursday, September 18, from 2:00-5:00pm in the Hemlock building on campus. This event will feature presentations recognizing our past and looking forward, a viewing of college artifacts and treasured images, the 60 Years of Impact video premiere, light refreshments, and the unveiling of the Art Trail. The Campus Development team has installed beautiful banners on campus and is working towards a momentous goal of planting 60 trees or plants during the academic year. Plantings have already begun, beautifying campus and providing additional educational opportunities for students.

In this chat, we talked with Elan from the Student Life team. She shares the upcoming calendar of events with us and all the amazing things students have to look forward to this semester. From some tried-and-true favorites to a few new things in store, there is always a reason to get out and involved at HCC!

April is Community College Month! As we wrap up the month, we sat down with one of our instructors and alum to chat about the meaning of being part of the community college system and mission.