Greenville Technical College

When the audience at commencement hears Carver Blassingame’s name on December 18, a graduate will step forward and proudly receive the diploma he’s worked years to achieve. A few minutes later, the same name will be called again, and although the audience may think there’s some mistake, a second handshake will take place, marking another degree conferred. Father and son, Carver and his namesake, Carver Blassingame, III, will don navy robes, walk across the stage to the cheers of family, and graduate from Greenville Technical College (GTC) together.
For Carver, this achievement is a long time coming. He graduated from high school in 1998 and walked straight into a job at the restaurant supply company where his Dad worked, throwing orders on a pallet jack and taking home an impressive salary for a recent high school graduate — $55,000 a year.
Carver remained in that job for 12 years, until the company shut its doors. After that, he found a part-time position with Grainger, an industrial supply company, completing the familiar tasks of sorting products and loading trucks. Grainger, however, relies on a superhighway of intelligent conveyors. When those conveyors in his area of responsibility broke down, Carver discovered that he had a knack for troubleshooting and repair, something that the maintenance staff appreciated. They suggested that he take his natural talent for maintenance back to school and enroll at Greenville Tech for a degree in Mechatronics.
After completing the Mechatronics program, Carver added a bachelor’s degree in advanced manufacturing technology from Greenville Tech, the only two-year college in the state to offer education at that level. And he encouraged his son to enroll at GTC, where he earned a degree in Mechatronics and is continuing in the bachelor’s degree. Carver’s younger sister, Carletta, is graduating with a CNC degree, making three members of the family to graduate together and changing the family dynamic to be focused on education.