On this Giving Tuesday, we are surrounded by messages encouraging and celebrating philanthropy, and worthy organizations across the globe share statistics to demonstrate the scale of their impact. With so much emphasis on the big picture, it’s easy to lose sight of the real way our Charlotte Mecklenburg Library makes a difference: one individual at a time.

This year, we were thrilled to witness one such story. In celebration of Giving Tuesday, Tech Talent South, a technical education institute, offered a scholarship to their full time code immersion class to a Library user who has demonstrated interest and commitment. The Library Foundation worked with Library staff to identify a student who might be interested, and this morning Jessica Smith Robinson accepted her award through tears of gratitude.

Jessica works as a receptionist at the Mecklenburg County Health Department, but she has always been good with computers and has a passion for coding. She wants to become a web developer, and she has taken several free courses at the Library. She’s eager to learn, and with this scholarship Jessica will be taking an important step toward pursuing her dream. Jessica exudes, “This is such a wonderful opportunity for me. I’m a sponge right now, just soaking up all of it!”

So often our Library is about making connections between people, information and resources. This opportunity is possible because of the generosity of this community – on Giving Tuesday and every day. We’re grateful we could help make the connection between Jessica and Tech Talent South, grateful for everyone who supports the Library’s mission of improving lives and building a stronger community, and we look forward to seeing Jessica continue to grow and succeed.