We are always grateful for faculty and staff recommendations of exceptional NHCC students and getting the opportunity to follow up on their success. Thank you to Gina Schmidt for introducing us to NHCC grad, Chaneria Drepaul!
Chaneria Drepaul graduated with honors from the Business, Computer Systems and Management (BCSM) program at NHCC. After graduating in May of 2024, she made it her goal to transfer to a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) for business, or accounting, which was inspired by her work with NHCC Academic Advisor, Jovon Dukes. At NHCC, she was a student worker in the Career Center for three semesters. During her time as a student worker, Chaneria learned a lot about professionalism, which she said launched her from NHCC feeling very well prepared.
Last summer following graduation, she accepted a front desk position at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, allowing her a chance to network with a lot of people. One of her colleagues suggested North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T), (which was recently recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the number one rated public HBCU in the nation) she applied and was admitted! In January, Chaneria started her first semester at A&T in North Carolina, and she will return this summer for an auditing/accounting internship with professional services firm, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) in Minneapolis.
Get to know Chaneria in the Q&A, below!
How's the semester going?
The semester is going well. I am enjoying my first semester at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The accounting business class I’m currently taking is giving me good practice in how to start thinking like an accountant would.
What program are you in now and what program were you in at NHCC?
Currently, I am studying accounting, but at NHCC, I graduated with a Business, Computer Systems, and Management AS degree.
How do you like it?
I like going to school in North Carolina and being at a prominent HBCU. I like the experience of being a student living on-campus and going to class on-campus. It makes it easier to immerse myself into the culture and events that happen at the university.
How did you decide to enroll at NC A&T?
When I was a student at NHCC, I worked with my advisor, Jovon; and he helped me mass apply to 45+ HBCU’s in the U.S. Of the school’s I applied to, NC A&T was one of the most prestigious and was known for their business program (and more specifically, their accounting program) as well. But fortunately, I got into all of them!
What did NHCC/the Career Services department do to help prepare you to transfer?
Being a student worker in the Career Services department helped me a lot. I worked at the front desk, I checked people in, took phone calls, answered emails, and eventually learned to help students edit their resumes. Gina took the time to practice with me and showed me how to update a resume. I got to help set up for events, design flyers, and hear keynote speakers on-campus. Getting the chance to shadow such strong women and learn from my supervisors at Career Services, helped shape me into being a more responsible and respectful young woman in the business/everyday world (So when it came time to call and email NC A&T I had no hesitation to get those tasks done).
How was the transfer process?
The transfer process was straightforward. Most of my classes transferred over without an issue. I graduated from NHCC with 75 credits, and 64 out of those 75 were able to transfer over to NC A&T, which allowed me to be considered a junior on-campus after I transferred.
What advice would you give for other students who are considering NHCC?
I would tell students to give college a shot and if they do enroll here, that they should spend time on-campus. So many things happen here and so many events get put on and you can learn a lot by just taking the time to go listen to a speaker on-campus. Take advantage of the opportunities NHCC has to offer. I started off in criminal justice at first and during that time, I was in Be Bold, where I met Maria. But then I changed my major to business because I thought that was broad enough for me to be able to do a lot of different things with it. NHCC is a good college with many programs that can help you find what you’re passionate about as a career. Give yourself a pat on the back for continuing your education!
Were you part of any clubs at NHCC?
I joined Phi Theta Kappa at the end of my time at NHCC. I got to help out with the CC Smart campaign and that was really fun! Ever since I joined the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at NHCC, I've been looking to be in an honor society everywhere else that I go. Because it seemed like the people in PTK really push you to be better than what you already were. Not in a negative competitive way, just in a, you want to be as good as the person next to you kind of way. I wanted to keep learning from the people in that group as well. I really did like the environment and I'm looking for that environment almost everywhere that I go now.
Do you think you'll continue your education further after this?
I think I am going to get my master's degree. I've talked with my department of accounting chair, and she mentioned we do have a master's program that will just be an extra year after my bachelor's, so I think I'll do that!
Did you go to NHCC right after high school, or did you take some time off in between?
I did go right after high school. I went to Park Center Senior High School, and I had friends who did PSEO and so I was familiar with North Hennepin. My friends mentioned that they really liked their professors at NHCC and what they were learning in their classes. They made it seem like doing PSEO (at North Hennepin specifically) was a really, really good decision, and that also made me want to go to North Hennepin Community College. I didn't do PSEO and that's one of my big mistakes. I wish I would have done it.
What did you like about going to school at NHCC?
I would say… I really did like the events. I liked how engaging the school was and the parenting student program they offered for students who just had kids. I also liked their mental health services, and I really admired how much the school gave back. They really do care about their students; they're putting the money needed into these things and saying, ‘We're here for you and for so many different types of people.’ I think that's very important. I also think Career Services are important. I love the fact that if you wanted to come back and do your resume as an alumni, you can! And it's not just for two, or three years after you graduate, it's forever. As long as you graduate from NHCC, you can come back and utilize their Career Services. So, I appreciate that a lot as well. North Hennepin really does care about their students and wants to see them grow. I feel like they live up to their mission statement, that's for sure!
Did you get a chance to meet Karen when you worked in Career Services?
Yes, but she was only there for about a month at the same time as me. I met her when she was on her way out, but she still touched me with her words. I remember we were talking about where I wanted to go to school after NHCC. She was asking me, “Do you want to go to Metro, because you really feel like you want to go to Metro? Or do you want to go to North Carolina A&T because that's where you want to go?” And I told her, “I really want to go to a university where I can be on-campus instead.” She said, “Well, you should do that then!” And she mentioned something like, “Can you do this [specific thing] in accounting?” I don't remember what it was, but she asked, “Can you do it?” I said, “I think I can” and she said, “Know you can. You can do it!” Just hearing her say that had a big impact on me.
When are you set to graduate?
I believe I graduate in 2027. I have to look up exactly when it is because it gets a little confusing when credits start counting towards my master's program. But I hope that’s the case! I think in 2027, I’ll graduate with my bachelor's degree and then my master’s degree will be after that.
Just a general question for you, why go to college?
Why go to college? It's a good place to grow. It is a good place to further your education. I would say, our times are growing in technology. And with AI, sometimes there can be a little bit of false advertisement. So, it's good to know that when you go to college, you're getting reliable information. You're being taught by reliable professors, and the professors have reliable material as well. To know that you are educating yourself in the way that you necessarily should be and that you're really getting the correct information; I would say that is important. Also, you never know who you might meet networking! And not just in a networking setting, but in friends and friendship, too! It’s a good opportunity if you just want to try something out. Because I always say, ‘If you don't know what you want to do, you should at least try.’ Then you can figure out what you don't necessarily want to do, or maybe you want to do something similar to that but not exactly that. College is a good place to figure it all out!
Did your parents encourage you to go to college?
My mom went to college. She got her master's degree, but she didn't necessarily push me to go to college. That was something I decided to do that felt right for me, because college isn't for everyone. I felt like for me to just progress, I needed to go to college. So, my mom didn't push me. But she did ask me questions like, “Are you planning on going to college?’ or ‘Which colleges are you thinking about?’ She helped me figure things out and she was a good support system. I'm glad that she didn't necessarily force me to go. I’m glad that I had her support and I had someone I could talk to.
Thank you for answering our questions, Chaneria! We wish you the best of luck as you progress in your studies and can’t wait to see what you’ll do next!