November 10, 2026

How is your character being tested and how do you want to be remembered? Those are the kinds of questions members of Forsyth Technical Community College’s E.P.I.C. Trailblazer Club take on every other Wednesday. Now in its second year, the club is one of the newest student organizations at Forsyth Tech, and its name reflects its mission. E.P.I.C. stands for excellence, purpose, integrity and community, values that members work to put into practice through service, conversation and reflection.

For student Anderson McGregory, who joined the club three months ago, those values have already made a difference. Anderson is a second-year student at Forsyth Tech pursuing an Associate in Arts degree. After graduating and transferring, he plans to major in finance. The club has introduced him to many new people, and he said he has become much more open since joining. Through the club, Anderson has learned to show love and to be more aware of the world around him, an experience he describes as a blessing. Beyond regular meetings, Anderson and other members do community service together and meet on their own to talk about how they can keep growing and to plan for the next semester.

That kind of growth is exactly what the club was designed to encourage. According to club adviser Julian Jackson, the goal is to help students become the best version of themselves, find a sense of belonging at Forsyth Tech and consider what kind of lasting impact they want to leave on the college and the community. Intentionality is at the heart of that work. Members are encouraged to think carefully about how their decisions shape who they are and how they treat others.

Much of the club’s work is built around a monthly virtue calendar. Each month, members focus on a single virtue, discuss what it means and plan how to put it into action. They then come back together to talk about what they learned. November’s virtue is gratitude. Meetings are student-led and no two are the same. During meetings, members work through scenario-based activities that explore how character can be tested in real-life situations and the reasons behind the choices people make. When the club takes on community service, members are asked to think beyond the task itself and consider its impact on the people they are serving. Students also talk about their academic programs and how they can use the skills they are learning to help others, so that they see themselves not only as people who receive, but as people who give their time and energy back.

That idea came to life last week at the club’s E.P.I.C. Retreat. Students formed groups, chose social problems facing the world today and drew on the skills they are learning in their programs to develop plans for solving them. Because members come from a wide range of programs, from finance to forensics, and from Forsyth Tech’s Main Campus as well as other campuses, each group brought a variety of perspectives to the table.

The club currently has between 10 and 15 members, a number that shifts with the time of year and students’ class schedules, and it adds new members every semester. Membership is open to any Forsyth Tech student, and the club recruits at events such as Fall Fest, Spring Fest and campus pop-ups. Meetings are held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. every other Wednesday, usually in Room 4460 of the Strickland Building on the Main Campus, though the location can change.

As the club continues to grow, Jackson hopes to welcome even more students who want to connect with others, serve their community and live with purpose. Students interested in joining or learning more about the E.P.I.C. Trailblazers Club can contact club advisor Julian Jackson at jjackon@forsythtech.edu or 336.734.7221. Students can also connect with the club through the SLE Clubs page on TechLink.