Alumni Feature #4

Chatham Charter is proud of the successes of its alumni and how they can inspire current and future students. Over the course of the summer of 2023, Knight News will feature alumni from its 2016-2022 graduating classes. These are only a sample of the incredible achievements Chatham Charter graduates are finding as a result of the opportunities they made the most of before and after high school graduation. Staff would enjoy highlighting additional alumni. Contact Beth McCullough (bmccullough@chathamcharter.org) to share good news about graduates.

In case you missed any previous sets of alumni features, you can still read them here. Feature #1 Feature #2 Feature #3

Emily Colborne (Class of 2018)

“I graduated Princeton University with my undergrad in 2022 and my Master’s of Engineering in 2023 for Civil and Environmental Engineering. Right now, I am in Fairbanks, Alaska leading mission trips as a Construction Project Manager working for Next Step Ministries. This is my third summer with Next Step and my second in AK!

I love building things and being able to apply my engineering knowledge in a practical setting. Over the years, I have been blessed with opportunities which have helped me learn a lot. I want to use my gifts to bless others and through Next Step I’ve been able to do that!”

Kyle Farrell (Class of 2021)

Kyle just finished his junior year at UNCG and was awarded the Hilda Burton Fountain Scholarship. This summer he is volunteering at the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site. Currently, he is trying to turn his volunteer position into an internship for credits at UNCG. In the 2023-2024 academic year Kyle is going to complete a Bachelor’s degree in History, the concentration in Public History being offered to undergraduates, and he is planning on earning a minor in Classical Studies.

Lorelei Byrd (Class of 2022)

“Since beginning my first year at UNC Chapel Hill, I have had an incredible experience. I have met some of my best and closest friends here. I have also become a part of multiple different clubs and organizations on campus like the pre-optometry association of which I am the secretary. I am majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. I will also be starting an internship in the fall at a local optometry clinic where I plan to work until I graduate from Carolina. On an equally exciting note, I’m studying abroad in Copenhagen and Athens for the month of July where I will learn about the traditions, nutrition, and foods of these regions.”

Sean Blackmon (Class of 2016)

Sean Blackmon is a member of Chatham Charter’s first graduating class (2016). Sean took his CCCC Automotive Systems Technology certificate and moved into the world of heavy equipment. He took the saying “boys and their toys” seriously and now travels all over the United States with Buckner HeavyLift Cranes assembling and disassembling some of the largest crawler cranes in the nation. These machines have helped build the Titan Stadium, Spacex launching towers, most of the windmills in the Midwest, and currently help build buildings on the two area megasites. In his time off, Sean sees many different interesting and historical sites in the area where he is working.