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The Associate in Arts (AA) is a two-year degree for students who ultimately wish to complete a baccalaureate degree. The emphasis is on courses such as business, English, fine arts, foreign languages, history, philosophy, psychology, or sociology.
Long before he was investigating crime scenes with his K9, Renzo, Justin Long was a young kid growing up on his family farm in Roxboro with herds of cattle, vegetable rows, and a bell that rang for dinner.
His family called it Bloomsdale – 120 acres of farmland where three generations lived. There were six houses on the farm, all built by Long family hands. His parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all grew up within walking distance of each other.
Days off didn’t exist. There was always something that needed to be done, and that instilled a strong work ethic in Long.
“It was a big thing in our family. You work. You support yourself, you support your family, and you do what you can to support your community,’” he said.
That work ethic has served the 36-year-old well as the new Dean of Human Services and Public Safety at Durham Technical Community College.
His family called it Bloomsdale – 120 acres of farmland where three generations lived. There were six houses on the farm, all built by Long family hands. His parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all grew up within walking distance of each other.
Days off didn’t exist. There was always something that needed to be done, and that instilled a strong work ethic in Long.
“It was a big thing in our family. You work. You support yourself, you support your family, and you do what you can to support your community,’” he said.
That work ethic has served the 36-year-old well as the new Dean of Human Services and Public Safety at Durham Technical Community College.
View the academic standards, including satisfactory academic progress and program requirements, that must be met in order to receive financial aid. The formula for calculating the amount of aid a student and a school can retain when the student withdraws from all classes is provided.
Tiffany Skouby’s leadership journey began in a psychology class at Durham Tech’s Orange County Campus in 2010.
The instructor broke students up into test groups for a project and Skouby’s group were all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The students grew close as they discussed challenges they faced every day.
“Our group didn’t feel represented. We had a voice and we wanted to be heard,” Skouby said. “Durham Tech heard us loud and clear. From that group, an organization grew.”
The instructor broke students up into test groups for a project and Skouby’s group were all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The students grew close as they discussed challenges they faced every day.
“Our group didn’t feel represented. We had a voice and we wanted to be heard,” Skouby said. “Durham Tech heard us loud and clear. From that group, an organization grew.”
Durham Tech is one of just 32 community colleges nationwide designated as a 2026 Leader College of Distinction by Achieving the Dream, a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility.
Kathryn Oliva, a Honduras native and Durham Tech graduate, was 17 when she came to the United States. She started taking classes at Durham Tech within a year of her arrival.
“Durham Tech has a special place in my heart. From the beginning I had classmates from other countries. That was amazing to me,” Oliva said. “I got to know about other countries, even with never having visited them. I got to meet other non-English speaking students with good hearts that I never would have met if I hadn’t been at Durham Tech. Many of us still talk and go out. My Durham Tech time was such a good thing for me.”
“Durham Tech has a special place in my heart. From the beginning I had classmates from other countries. That was amazing to me,” Oliva said. “I got to know about other countries, even with never having visited them. I got to meet other non-English speaking students with good hearts that I never would have met if I hadn’t been at Durham Tech. Many of us still talk and go out. My Durham Tech time was such a good thing for me.”
When former Durham Technical Community College President Bill Ingram cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Orange County Campus in May 2008, a new pathway to academic and career successes was created for Orange County residents, but it was a long road to get there.
Prior to the Orange County Campus, Durham Tech had offered credit and non-credit courses in more than 40 Orange County locations since 1999. Classes were taught in high schools, community centers, churches, the Orange County Skills Development Center, and several other locations throughout the county.
Prior to the Orange County Campus, Durham Tech had offered credit and non-credit courses in more than 40 Orange County locations since 1999. Classes were taught in high schools, community centers, churches, the Orange County Skills Development Center, and several other locations throughout the county.
During the student activities trip to Washington, DC last week, several students participating in the Global Distinction Program took an afternoon to learn about policy making with a special visit to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). MPI is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to researching issues of migration around the world.
Local filmmaker Dr. Diane Bloom visited Durham Tech on Oct. 24 to discuss and screen her 2002 documentary “An Unlikely Friendship,” which captures the famous Durham story of black civil rights activist Ann Atwater and KKK leader Claiborne Paul “C.P.” Ellis.
Now, he works with students who, like him, are sifting through interests and planning for a career. Williams is the College’s first Student Success Coach, the first hire in a new support model at Durham Tech, which helps students with academic advising, career planning, financial aid, transfer policies, and other resources.