Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Minority Male Success Initiative recently hosted former standout high school athlete Mike Setzer for a motivational workshop. Setzer, a 1994 graduate of West Caldwell High School, talked with students about setting goals, taking advantage of opportunities and being successful.
Setzer earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Therapeutic Recreation and Rehabilitation Studies at East Carolina University and earned his Masters degree at Pembroke University. Setzer has 17 years experience as a coach and educator and is currently serving in the Robeson County Public School System. He and his family reside in Lumberton, NC.
Setzer talked with students about personal accountability and urged them to take pride in being both students and athletes.
Student athlete Darrion Clinton said that the workshop was helpful. “Coach Setzer’s speech was very inspiring and motivational. He shared with us that only one percent of high school athletes make it to college and I am part of that one percent,” said Clinton. “I am blessed to make it this far and I have to keep going.”
Teammate Boko Moses Mupungo agreed. “I learned that as a student athlete, I need to focus on what is really important. I need to go to class and get good grades and that self-discipline is very important,” he said. “And on the basketball side, I need to get focused and be hungry on the court. And always remember where I came from.”
The Minority Male Success Initiative was established by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) in 2003 and is designed as a goal-oriented program to support the educational, professional and civic aspirations of minority males at all 58 community colleges throughout the state. The program works to increase student success and maximize student and campus participation.
For more information about CCC&TI’s Minority Male Success Initiative, contact program specialist Elaine Setzer-Maxwell at 828-759-4687 or email esetzer-maxwell@cccti.edu.
Pictured, Coach Mike Setzer, center, talks to students in CCC&TI’s Minority Male Success Initiative program about setting goals and being successful. Setzer is a 1994 graduate of West Caldwell High School and is currently employed with the Robeson County Public School System.
