Cleveland State Alumni Serves Community Through Careers

Cleveland State Alumni Serves Community Through Careers

Napierra Alexander
Thursday, May 5, 2022 12:00 AM
Community, All, Alumni, Press Releases

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Bradley County and the surrounding areas all house Cleveland State Community College graduates who are serving their communities. These graduates are working to better their community and exemplify the meaning of success through the foundation of a community college education. Matthew Coleman and Eric Weaver are two Cleveland State alumni that are influencing the people around them through their careers. 

Coleman is a native of Cleveland that began at the college in 1997. He wanted to be a doctor like his father and decided to major in biology. After graduating from Cleveland State, he completed his undergraduate degree at Lee University with a bachelor’s in Biology. 

Coleman was going through military training while attending Cleveland State, but with the help of the college he was able to balance school while serving his country. 

“During school and after school, I continued my military training and became qualified as an Army Green Beret,” stated Coleman. “I was deployed to Afghanistan at the early start of Operation Enduring Freedom. During my time at Cleveland State, the teachers were helpful to allow me to take a week and a half off classes while I provided disaster relief to Turkey during the 1999 earthquakes.”

After joining the military, Coleman turned his focus towards law to provide benefits and services to people who had been harmed or treated unjustly. He set his sights on Virginia for law school, but wanted to come back home to practice law. Now back home in Cleveland, Coleman uses his medical experience and skills to evaluate medical records or injuries of various cases of disability or worker’s compensation. 

“My life is focused on my faith, my family and giving back to this community through the practice of law and service,” explained Coleman. 

Eric Weaver decided to attend Cleveland state after enlisting in the Army. He wanted to get a degree to prove to himself that he can be successful, so he began his courses as a secondary education major in 1990. Weaver earned his associate degree which became the start of his career. 

“Not everyone is ready to go to a four-year school,” stated Weaver. “The Army gave me the understanding of how I could learn the best, and Cleveland State built off that success.  With the help of Admissions and the use of my GI Bill, I received the foundation for my career in education.”

Weaver has been a teacher, coach, and now principal of his hometown high school, Sweetwater High School. He shares his experience at the college with his students and encourages them to apply for TN Promise, a state program for high school students that provides free tuition through last-dollar scholarships.  

“CSCC will put you in a position to be successful,” explained Weaver. “You’ll enjoy small classroom environments to encourage success and no financial burdens. I spent many hours in my teacher’s offices for extra help that a major university with a class of 300 students can’t offer.   With CSCC, it was all about putting me in a position to succeed.”

Both Weaver and Coleman built their educational foundation with Cleveland State and continue to utilize their careers and education to strengthen their communities. Cleveland State encourages the community to grow economically through the students and alumni with service and vision. 

“I believe that Cleveland State is a great opportunity and a jewel within this southeast Tennessee community,” explained Coleman. 

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