As the valedictorian of Central Holmes Christian School, Lily Fran McCrory of Lexington could have gone anywhere upon graduating from high school. McCrory, however, will tell you today that going to Holmes Community College was the best decision she ever made.
“If I could have gone to Holmes all four years, I would have,” McCrory said. “There’s something to be said about being able to get a top-notch education in your own backyard. Also, from a financial standpoint, it was a smart move as tuition was reasonable. Some people say, ‘You get what you pay for,’ but I did not find that to be true at Holmes. The college provided a quality education at an affordable price and I could not have been more pleased.”
McCrory is just one of the many students who has benefited from attending community college. Though many benefit from career-technical and workforce training programs that allow them to go straight into a specific field/trade (such as nursing, welding, cosmetology, etc.), others like McCrory find that community college is a valuable foundation to build the rest of their education upon. She is now just months away from graduating medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), and she will graduate debt-free unlike the majority of her classmates.
The 2015 Holmes alumnus took full advantage of every opportunity presented and was able to secure scholarships that paid for Holmes and the rest of her higher education career. For one, McCrory was part of the Holmes Plus Scholarship program, which is specifically for students who show an aptitude in science and mathematics (and covers all remaining charges for tuition, room and board once all other scholarships and aid have been applied). She was also selected as the 2014-2015 HEADWAE student recipient for Holmes.
Additionally, McCrory earned scholarships through active involvement with the community college honor society Phi Theta Kappa. In addition to serving as reporter for the Holmes Goodman Chapter, she was also the regional reporter for the organization. Phi Theta Kappa provides opportunities for community college students to develop professional and leadership skills and earn scholarships; often enough to cover the remainder of their undergraduate education.
“I tell people all the time, the key is to really apply yourself and do well at community college so you get a full ride to the next step in your higher education,” McCrory said. “Scholarships I received while at Holmes paid for my next step: earning my degree at Mississippi State University.”
In addition to resources provided at Holmes, McCrory also discovered the upside to small class sizes: close relationships with and guidance from faculty and staff.
“At Holmes, you are not just a number in an auditorium,” McCrory said. “I became accustomed to knowing my instructors and they really took time to invest in me. Between the mock interviews that helped me land the Mississippi Rural Physician Scholarship and my instructors writing recommendation letters in a very efficient manner, I would say Holmes is more like a family than anything. Some of my old instructors even came to watch me speak at Rotary Club in Lexington during their Spring Break one year. I still keep in touch with my Holmes instructors, and I can say, they truly provided me with the foundation to succeed at both MSU and in medical school.”
McCrory speaks passionately when she shares her gratitude for her Holmes instructors. She credits Holmes for helping her secure the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship which was responsible for her being able to graduate medical school debt free.
“There’s so much opportunity to shine at community college,” McCrory said. “My instructors and the staff saw potential in me and fostered so much growth in me, helping me reach my full potential. They would push me to do things that might be outside of my comfort zone, as they did with other students, when they felt I was capable.
“I look back and I remember when I was applying to UMMC, Mrs. Heather Jones drove me down to the Ridgeland Campus in a Holmes van to meet with the dean of the medical school. She and other instructors did practice interviews to help me prepare, as well. I graduated from Holmes six years ago and they still keep up with me! Mr. Will Alexander is one of my biggest fans to this day, cheering me on in all my endeavors, and Mrs. Sherrie Cheek has kept up with me, as well. They’ve told me if I’m going to do something, they’re going to be there clapping the loudest.”
McCrory brags on how her Holmes instructors not only helped her get into medical school but prepared her for success in the classroom as well.
“Any time I’ve done exceptionally well on an exam and a professor has contacted me afterward, I'm quick to tell them that Mrs. Heather Jones’ chemistry class was one of the best courses I have taken to prepare me for medical school," McCrory said. "They are often surprised to hear I went to community college, as there are less than 10 of us in my entire class who did. I want to make sure they understand the quality of education I received at a community college. Because of classes with Mrs. Jones, Mr. Jim Shirley, Mrs. Mary Leigh Poole and others, my biology and chemistry background was so strong I felt confident in my ability to answer questions in class and complete the homework. Yes, there were 250 people in an auditorium instead of 35 like at Holmes, but I never felt less than confident because of how well prepared I was. When I’ve run into a problem with homework, my Holmes instructors have still been there for me, happy to assist over phone or email.”
McCrory is also quick to point out that rather than community college being a hindrance to getting into professional school, it can actually be a benefit.
“There is somewhat of a stigma that if community college is on your resume, you’re not as smart as others because you had to go there first,” McCrory said. “That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m in the top third of my medical school class and the other few students in my class that have associate degrees are in the top too. In fact, having my Associate of Arts degree on my resume came up as a talking point in my residency interviews because they rarely see that. I love to tell them that Holmes prepared me for medical school; I took all of my prerequisites there, and the instructors were nothing but supportive.”
The daughter of Frankie and Robin McCrory, she is engaged to Rosario Guastella of Madison (originally from Chicago), who is also a medical student at UMMC. The couple will wed on May 22 before graduating on May 28 and then will move to Arkansas to begin residency at Conway Regional Health Systems. McCrory’s long-term plan is to return to her hometown of Lexington to practice family medicine with her soon-to-be husband.
“As I look back on my time at Holmes and everything the faculty/staff there did to help get me where I am today, I am so thankful,” McCrory said. “I’m a proud graduate of Holmes Community College and forever grateful for my time there!”
To learn more about Holmes, visit www.holmescc.edu.
