North Carolina A&T State University alumna Mia Ford hoped her son would attend college close to where she lives in Atlanta, she was pleasantly surprised to learn he wanted to come to Aggieland.

“He lives in Greensboro with his dad and graduated from Southern Guilford High School and he wanted to stay closer to my family and his dad’s family,” Ford said during New Student Orientation.

Her son, Devin Bowden, will begin his academic career at N.C. A&T in the fall and major in applied technology engineering.

“I wanted to come here because of the programs here, she didn’t try to sway me,” he said.

What did sway Bowden were the experiences he had as a track and field athlete competing in Erwin Belk Stadium and participating in the community events for homecoming.

“So far, I like it. I’m looking forward to the sense of community and learning as much as I can about my major,” he said.

His mom graduated out of the School of Education in 1998 and is currently an assistant principal in Atlanta. She is happy that her son has chosen to follow in her foot steps to be an Aggie.

“I always thought he would go his own way and go to another school, but, in a way he is going his own way,” she said.

With all the aesthetic differences that have occurred on A&T’s campus, it’s almost like another school, she said.

“It’s so exciting to see all these changes. I was so shocked that he decided to come here. Shocked and exited – about everything,” Ford said.
The mother and son pair participated in the second of four overnight New Student Orientation sessions for new freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University.

New Student Orientation is used to introduce new students to university life by teaching academic policies and the student code.  The goal of each New Student Orientation is to help students become accustomed to life at N.C. A&T so they feel at home when they move in on campus in the fall.

During orientation, students and their families have an opportunity to meet with academic advisors, register for classes, find out more information about student organizations and meet upperclassmen to learn more about the skills needed to be a successful student.

There are two remaining sessions for incoming freshmen – June 28-29 and July 11-12. There are two one-day sessions for transfer and non-traditional students set for June 30 and July 12. For additional information, visit www.ncat.edu.