The word "Due" read from top-down and "South" left-right, with the U shared between them. Reminiscent of a compass.

Due South

After high school graduation, educational alternatives to four-year college

By Leoneda Inge,

Published June 4, 2024 at 10:23 AM EDT

As college tuition and student loan debt continue to soar, many high school graduates are taking a fresh look at alternatives to going straight from high school to 4-year college.

We talk with a panel of experts to explore the post-secondary enrollment trends in North Carolina in community colleges, technical and vocational schools, and apprenticeship programs, as well as the emotions, pressures, and stigmas (for teens and parents alike) wrapped up in these life decisions.

Guests

Dr. Nathan T. Dollar, Director, Carolina Demography, Carolina Population Center

Layla Bluefort, MSW, founder, “"Momma I Don't Want to Go to College” Skills and Trade Career Expo

Dr. Abraham Dones, Vice President and Chief Student Services Officer, Durham Technical Community College

Frances Beroset, therapist and former college advisor

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Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Jeff Tiberii

Jeff Tiberii is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Jeff joined WUNC in 2011. During his 20 years in public radio, he was Morning Edition Host at WFDD and WUNC’s Greensboro Bureau Chief and later, the Capitol Bureau Chief. Jeff has covered state and federal politics, produced the radio documentary “Right Turn,” launched a podcast, and was named North Carolina Radio Reporter of the Year four times.

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Rachel McCarthy

Rachel McCarthy is a producer for "Due South." She previously worked at WUNC as a producer for "The Story with Dick Gordon." More recently, Rachel was podcast managing editor at Capitol Broadcasting Company where she developed narrative series and edited a daily podcast. She also worked at "The Double Shift" podcast as supervising producer. Rachel learned about audio storytelling at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Prior to working in audio journalism, she was a research assistant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

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