Archived News

District judge receives HCC alum award

District Court Judge Donna Forga received Haywood Community College’s Outstanding Alumni Award for 2015.

Forga finished the Business Administration program at HCC in 1991 as the first in her family to get a college degree. She continued her education at UNCA where she received a Bachelor’s degree in literature and language. In 2000, she finished law school at Chapel Hill. 

Forga was first elected as District Court Judge in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. She is one of six rotating judges for seven counties including: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain.

Forga says that HCC taught her that she could succeed and overcome obstacles. “Without coming to HCC first, I would not have continued my education to become a lawyer then a judge. HCC showed me I could make the grades and balance being a parent while going to school. There were a lot of people going to HCC that were in my shoes. They were struggling too.”

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.