What Northeastern Technical College gave Sheryll Marshall; she returned it in kind for forty-seven years.
Marshall is the face of the Marlboro County Campus in Bennettsville serving as a Navigation Coordinator directing students on how to enroll, apply for financial aid, to being a soundboard.
“If you want to go to school, or return to school, let me help you. Education is a vehicle that can open doors for you,” Marshall said.
Marshall was recognized by NETC for her decades of service. Her understanding of how a technical college operates has made her a human information center, she joked.
“I’ve had people come up to me while I’m shopping asking questions about how to enroll classes. I’ve even had parents, who I helped when they were young, direct their children to come see me,” Marshall said. “My purpose and mission are do what I can and do to help anybody.”
Marshall began her career May 7, 1977, at then-named Chesterfield-Marlboro Technical College shortly after attending as a student in 1975.
“When my father was laid off at Wallace Trucking Company, that changed my financial aid status,” she said.
The Ruby native inadvertently began her career at the technical college as a work-study to help pay for her tuition, which turned into the launchpad for a career spanning more than four decades.
“About three or four financial department directors later, I became director,” she said. “I started out as a clerk and eventually I was the one with an assistant.”
While working at Chesterfield-Marlboro Technical College, Marshall earned two associate degrees and continued to Coker College (now a university) earning a bachelor’s degree.
A co-worker and Marshall eventually traded free weekends for studies earning a master’s degree from Webster University.
“I appreciate what college has done in my life and my children’s life,” Marshall said. “My college gave a lot to me and in turn I have given to this college.”
In Marlboro County, Marshall is watching her workspace in a constant state of change as the renovation project marches on adding shop, laboratory, and classroom space preparing for a major curriculum expansion when completed.
“People need to take advantage of what a technical college offers,” she said. “You can learn faster, make more money, and half little or no debt compared to people go to four-year schools.”
Marshall will help direct you to your future.
