- [Narrator] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact," how two brothers, battling an incurable eye disease, make the most of life, plus, is the value of a four year degree still the same?

We take a look at careers where they're not needed.

And a local couple creates a business with broad appeal that gives back.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(bright music) Good evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

The world is unfortunately filled with many incurable diseases.

What often comes to mind is cancer, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.

But there are many others that don't get the headlines.

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis joins us with information on one and introduces us to a local family dealing with it.

- Well, gotta be honest, before working on this story, I had never heard of it.

It's called retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disease that causes cells in the retina to slowly break down over time, eventually leading to tunnel vision and blindness.

What makes it so hard to cure is, it's not a singular disease, but actually a collection of hundreds of genetically different conditions.

So while a potential cure might work for one person, it wouldn't work for another.

♪ I, I'm thinking it's a sign ♪ - [Speaker] There's no treatment.

There's nothing they can do about it.

- It's just too much.

You're powerless.

- [Jason] The National Geographic documentary, "Blink," presents the story of a family in which three of the four children have been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa.

- [Speaker] Let's go all in and fill their visual memory with as much beautiful things as we can.

- [Jason] The family sets out on a journey to show their kids the world while they can still see it.

- [Speaker 2] See a sunrise on a mountain, make friends in other countries.

(kids yelling) - [Jason] Good chance you've never heard of retinitis pigmentosa, and there's good reason for that as it affects just one in roughly every 4,000 people.

- It is considered to be a rare genetic condition, but nevertheless, there are about 100,000 Americans living with it.

- I didn't even know this disease existed.

- [Jason] So what exactly is retinitis pigmentosa?

- Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition that affects the retina.

The retina is the light sensitive part of the eye that is really the only part of the eye that can do the actual seeing.

- [Jason] The retina's photoreceptor cells are responsible for capturing light, but over time, retinitis pigmentosa causes those cells to break down, with the damage eventually spreading throughout the retina.

Symptoms usually begin in childhood.

- It's sort of been my whole life.

I've known I had bad night vision.

- Brothers Quinn and Reid Manning didn't think or know anything was wrong when their symptoms first arose.

- You know, we lived in Florida at the time.

We were going to Disney World, Universal, things like that, and yes, they could not navigate the "Pirates of the Caribbean," you know, in the dark.

- We had a field trip to Universal Studios and we were going through the "Mummy" ride, like through the line.

It gets pretty dark in there and I kept whacking into like the barrier.

So I had to have my friend guide me through, you know?

- For me, it would be like the movie's ended, right, and you're trying to sneak out before, you know, the last credits are still rolling and they haven't turned the lights on and the boys are a little bit more challenged with that.

- [Jason] This video demonstrates what a healthy eye normally sees, then one affected with retinitis pigmentosa.

Huge difference.

- And it leaves the patient with sort of a tunnel vision type of an experience.

And then in the more advanced stages of disease, even that central vision can get affected and that would impact one's ability to read or recognize faces.

So as you can imagine, can have quite a profound effect on somebody's quality of life.

- It was finally when we went to visit Reid at college and were in the aquarium and he was grabbing onto my arm and I went, "Really, seriously?"

- [Jason] Martina first took her sons to an optometrist, then an ophthalmologist, - And that's when they were like, "Oh, something might not be right."

Then they sent him to a retina specialist and the retina specialist was like, "Eh, something might not be right."

And then that's when we went to Duke.

- You do all the tests and they're telling us, "Yeah, so you have this eye condition that makes it so, you know, the cells in your eyes are dying and, you know, you'll go blind eventually."

- Well, I did not process it well, I'll put it that way.

Yeah, I mean, I'm sorry for getting emotional.

I had a hard time with it.

- [Producer] Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Jason] Due to its complexity of being a collection of hundreds of genetically different conditions and not a singular one, retinitis pigmentosa is a moving target of sorts.

There is no cure.

- As we talked about, no cures right now and unfortunately no real treatments right now for the majority of these.

- So I feel like I can kind of see stuff in the dark if I stare directly at it.

But my peripheral vision is completely gone.

- [Jason] As the disease progresses, it can lead to complete and total blindness.

- [Kevin] The scary part of it all is the word progression, right?

It's bad today, it's gonna be worse tomorrow, it'll be worse the next day.

This just is gonna continue on in that path.

So, you know, back then it was just, you know, they had bad vision, deal with it.

The fact that it's gonna, you know, now that we know more, it's just gonna get worse, that's the part that's the challenge.

- Really, it's a long-term disease, right?

Because like the degradation, that happens over decades.

- It is outta my control.

You know, listen, I had a very hard time with it for a very long time.

I walked the neighborhood, crying probably for months.

But eventually I kinda got to this point where, you know, I have to be proactive.

I can't just be feeling sorry for myself or my children.

- [Jason] RP is not something anyone can get.

It's an inherited disease, passed down generation to generation.

Kevin Manning didn't know it, but he was a carrier.

He doesn't have RP, but others on his side of the family did, - You know, in the family that we're talking about, it was a more unique kind of a situation where it can actually skip generations, which is something that occasionally happens, yeah.

- I was ignorant of it.

Didn't think it applied to me, right?

So this was a big learning shock to the system, honestly.

- [Producer] Yeah.

- You know, and then it's one thing that their eyes are a challenge and now the other thing is that, you know, technically I'm the one responsible for it.

- [Producer] How does that make you feel?

- Oh, pretty poor, right?

I don't know what the rating on this video is, but, you know, fill in the bad words, right?

I mean, that's hard to bear.

You spend your life trying to do the best you can for your kids and the big challenge they're gonna face is, you know, you caused, unknowingly.

- [Jason] Chalk it up to youth or just being boys.

Reid and Quinn are taking their new reality in stride, about as well as anyone could.

- At least we're both in it together.

We sort of got someone who's going through the same thing.

And I don't wanna say I was like happy to be diagnosed with it, it isn't great.

But I'm like, you know what?

It's not the worst case scenario.

- Obviously I don't exactly wanna go blind, but at the same time, there's not exactly a cure for it.

So I don't feel like I should really get too like built, worked up over it.

So it's more just like an acceptance sort of thing of understanding, well one day, you know, I will have these problems, but right now I don't.

So I guess just enjoy being able to see why I can.

- I love the positive outlook of those young boys.

Jason, what can you tell us about the research?

- Research is going on and here's a little interesting fact.

Zebrafish, I never heard of zebrafish.

Zebrafish, a type of minnow, only about two to three inches long.

They actually have retinas very similar to humans.

They're currently being used in clinical trials, so they're hopefully trying to find something that's gonna help.

In the meantime, doctors tell patients to avoid eye stressors, things like bright lights and smoking, wear sunglasses outside and keep a healthy diet, take supplements and vitamins, all those things will help.

But again, still no cure.

Also, the boy's mom, Martina, who we met in the story, started a nonprofit to help raise awareness and funds for research at Duke.

It's called the RP Gene Research Foundation.

So she's kind of really jumped in on this because she wasn't really familiar with it either.

But she wants to do everything she can to help and anything she can do to raise funds to help at Duke.

She figures they're gonna help her kids and then others like them.

- Thanks so much for educating us on something new, Jason.

- Absolutely.

- Well you've probably heard of the glass ceiling, but maybe less familiar with an additional roadblock to career advancement known as the paper ceiling.

This invisible barrier keeps skilled professionals without a four year degree from advancing in their careers and earning wages on par with their college educated colleagues.

With many industries facing a war for talent and college enrollment's declining, more and more companies are rethinking the traditional, degree requirement.

"Carolina Impact's" Rochelle Mertzger and videographer John Branseum take a look.

(upbeat music) - [Kevin] Growing up, I never really had a plan and I knew that that was the element that was missing.

- [Rochelle] After high school, Kevin Turner did what most graduates do.

He went to college and majored in business administration, but he never finished.

With no direction and no diploma, Turner was repeatedly passed over for jobs he wanted.

- [Kevin] It was very difficult.

Knowing that I have the experience that they're asking for and just not having that degree was devastating to me.

I start the imaging process.

- [Rochelle] Turner tried his hand at roles, ranging from school auxiliary counselor to nonprofit administrator.

Nothing felt right, until a friend who works for the transportation company, RXO, urged him to take an information technology course.

- These are routers and switches.

- [Rochelle] Joe Little is associate dean of technology at Central Piedmont Community College.

You can see on the inside, it's got these pens, which offers continuing education courses, like this one designed for adults seeking basic learning to advanced level training.

Took us to a gigabit.

- If you can't be successful in a degree program, there's still an opportunity to be successful in CE.

And in CE, it's a lot less intimidating because it's just pass fail, you know, versus the grading systems that you have in the degree program area.

- [Rochelle] Ideal for 38-year-old Turner who enrolled in Central Piedmont's CompT A plus course, a preferred certification for IT operational and technical support roles.

- I'm usually able to get 16 to 24 computers ready in a day.

- [Rochelle] Armed with a certificate and a recommendation from his friend, Turner landed his current role as associate desk site support at RXO.

The engaged dad is finally doing what he loves, repairing computers and eyeing more courses in cybersecurity.

- I kind of felt like I didn't deserve to be there, but the class ultimately gave me the confidence to be able to pull my own weight on the team.

- As new equipment comes out.

- [Rochelle] Little says, the continuing education program is a way for professionals without a four year degree to earn the qualifications they need to advance in their careers.

- [Joe] Instead of having to take four or five semesters of 16 week courses over the course of a year and a half, two years, you do the CE training in four to eight weeks and you're ready to sit for a certification, which can then lead to a meaningful job to start your career.

- [Rochelle] Central Piedmont offers dozens of continuing career education classes in areas like financial services, business, healthcare, and hospitality.

According to the nonprofit Opportunity at Work, there are more than 70 million US workers who don't have a bachelor's degree, but are skilled through alternative routes, which could be certifications, military service, or on the job experience.

Referred to as stars, the population makes up more than half of North Carolina's workforce, or slightly more than two million people, says Opportunity at Work's Papia Debroy.

The national nonprofit is leading a campaign to tear the paper ceiling, a term referring to the invisible barrier, keeping stars from advancing in their careers.

If you track that star's wages over 30 years, 30 years into their career, they're still not earning what the Bachelor's degree'd candidate was earning on day one of work.

- [Rochelle] According to Debroy, that inequality is fairly new, but not the only disparity.

A joint LinkedIn research study found that stars face significant professional network barriers.

- Workers with a bachelor's degree have professional networks that are three times as strong as stars.

(uplifting music) - [Rochelle] Alisha Etheridge is a star.

She attended a technical college and got her associate degree in electronics engineering.

She was hired by Motorola and then laid off.

She says college degree mandates not only hold people back professionally.

They take a mental toll.

- The doubt and the negativity coming into your mind even before you speak to someone, right?

Thinking that they're gonna automatically dismiss you because, nope, she doesn't have this degree.

- [Rochelle] Despite not having formal training, Etheridge has moved up in her career by teaching herself what she needed to know and making connections.

Her resourcefulness landed her a job with Trane Technologies, a global heating and HVAC manufacturer headquartered in Davidson.

- Everything has been based on experience.

People willing to teach me, me going out there and teaching myself, learning on my own.

- [Rochelle] Trained technologies has partnered with Opportunity at Work on the tear the paper ceiling campaign, their aim, to spark conversations with hiring managers and encourage them to reevaluate how they bring talent into their organizations.

- Growth in the manufacturing industry is still strong, but there's still big talent challenges and we, like a lot of employers, are subject to these gaps.

- Amy Volz is trained Head of Workforce Innovation.

She says the first step is to look at job descriptions.

- You've looked at over 50 positions within the organization and we've removed bachelor's degree requirements for those positions.

We've also started thinking about how we source talent differently, looking beyond just the HVAC industry and into other industries as well where candidates might have really relevant skills, but might not have had the opportunity to work specifically in our industry before.

- [Rochelle] In a LinkedIn post, Etheridge shared her experience being a star.

Whether it's overcoming challenges or seizing opportunities, she says the first step to success is believing in yourself.

- I've seen it, I'm doing it.

Don't give up.

If you need help, find someone that you can talk to and that can help advocate for you.

- [Rochelle] The best advice may be to take a page from her book and be prepared to write your own success story.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Rochelle Mertzger.

- Thank you, Rochelle.

Opportunity at Work's mission is to rewire the US labor market, enabling at least one million more working adults in America to translate their learning into earning over the next decade, generating an additional $20 billion boost in annual earnings.

If you'd like to learn more about the tear of the paper ceiling campaign and view the latest research from Opportunity at Work, we put a link on our website, wtvi.org.

Well, teachers are some of the most powerful and influential figures in our lives, yet they often go uncelebrated.

Since 1987, the Milken Educator Awards have been highlighting the achievements of these unsung heroes.

Carolina Impact's Chris Clark has the story of one local teacher receiving the national prize.

- Get ready, turn to your partner.

- [Chris] First grade teachers are a lot like superheroes.

They use their powers to educate, entertain, and inspire.

- Somebody gimme a different idea.

Max, what are you thinking?

- [Chris] They make learning magical, creating fun adventures and sparking curiosity, at the same time keeping everyone focused and calm.

- Make that face that little boy's doing.

Hmm.

- [Chris] When things shift at a moment's notice, - Meet me over at my desk.

- [Chris] They pivot gracefully, just like Croft Community School's Vanessa Smith, - [Shannon] I couldn't believe the energy was real and it's all the time.

You know, she is truly that happy, has that much energy, loves what she does, loves the kids.

- [Chris] It takes energy, sure, but it's her philosophy and approach that makes Vanessa stand out.

- [Vanessa] I teach first grade, but that doesn't mean everybody in here is on that first grade level.

So it's really making sure, even though they get the first grade instruction, I'm meeting all the kids where they are.

Example, they needed to learn adjectives 'cause that was something we reviewed, something some students had some little gaps with.

If you hear an adjective as I'm reading, I want you to go like this, mmm.

Show me, what are you gonna do?

- Mmm!

- So instead of just going like, this is an adjective, a word that describes, we went over what an adjective is, reminded ourselves of it, but then they went on like a hunt, a word search in their own books.

So that way they got to find adjectives and books that they can actually read on their level.

- She has tremendously high expectations for every single student and herself.

She's consistently using what she knows about her kids to help them reach their goals and surpass their goals.

Her EVAS growth is some of the highest growth I've ever seen as a principal, meaning that she's moving kids triple the amount of time that they're expected to move.

- [Chris] In a role often marked by quiet dedication and little recognition, her outstanding metrics were impossible to overlook.

And it wasn't long before Vanessa captured the attention of the Milken Family Foundation.

- We just see that she's really one of those who does have that long range potential for leading in this profession.

- [Chris] Founded by philanthropist, Lowell Milken, the California native established the Milken Educator Awards in 1987 to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of teachers, principals, and specialists who are truly elevating the standard of education in our nation's schools.

What began with 12 recipients in just California has since expanded nationwide.

This year, up to 45 individuals will be honored, each receiving a generous $25,000 check to use in whatever way they choose.

- We're looking for teachers who are leading beyond the classroom and we're looking for ones who are not seeking the spotlight.

- And that describes Vanessa to a T. - I did not hear about it until I won it.

- [Chris] Which is by design.

- We do these big assemblies, you know, that have all students and staff present.

- We were told that our superintendent and then people from the state were coming to celebrate our school's data from last year.

- They wouldn't let me invite the family.

It was that big of a surprise.

- And Stephanie Bishop came out and announced, they were also gonna be doing a Milken Educator Award.

Ms. Bishop actually just announced.

- The Milken Educator Award goes to Vanessa Smith!

- [Vanessa] And then all of a sudden all the cameras and everybody just panned to me, shock and surprise in all honesty.

It then immediately went to like joy and excitement and then back to that shock.

- Yeah, I think it's still sinking in.

- [Chris] It's about more than just the applause and award.

Vanessa's gonna be paired with a former Milken winner in a mentorship program that fosters collaboration across states.

She'll also receive an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the prestigious Milken Educator Award's forum where some of the brightest minds in education come together to share ideas and inspire change.

- We have these dynamic panel presentations, we have breakout sessions, we have these round tables where she will be able to network with other educators who are doing these incredible things, and she'll be able to learn more about how she can elevate her voice in this profession.

- That aspect of community and partnership is really there.

Like the other past winners really want you to be the best version of you and wanna set you up for success.

- [Chris] The trophy, the trip, but let's not forget about that $25,000 cash prize.

Any suggestions?

- I asked her, it looked like no set aside for myself.

My teacher coaches that work here, it's all for Ms. Smith.

- I bought a dishwasher.

I did not have one in the first home that I purchased and I purchased a dishwasher.

- Go buy some professional clothes.

(laughs) I was like, this probably means it's time to dress up a little more.

And then after that, I truly don't know what to spend it on.

I've thought about it.

I think what I'm leaning towards is more like a trip somewhere is super fun that I've never gotten to go on, and this will definitely enable me to do it.

- [Chris] Which aligns perfectly with the advice she shared with us that day, saying, "You can't pour from an empty glass.

To truly support your students, it's crucial to show up as the best version of yourself.

That requires taking the time to invest in your own wellbeing so you have the energy and mindset to give your all to them."

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.

- Thank you, Chris.

This year, the Milken Educator Network welcomed its 3,000th member since its founding over 75 million in individual cash prizes have been dispersed, empowering recipients to celebrate, elevate, and activate.

Well finally tonight, remember those mom and pop businesses from back in the day where the workers knew your name, and maybe even your favorite things to buy?

"Carolina Impact's" Dara Khaalid and videographer Russ Hunsinger show us how a Rock Hill couple uses old family values to make everyone feel welcomed.

(relaxing music) - [Dara] It's pretty hard to miss traveling down East White Street in Rock Hill.

The mural just catches your eye.

The woman looking off in the distance, the dove flying freely, and the reminders of the city's past.

- With the cotton warehouses and then the railroads, and then the freedom rides that came through here with John Lewis.

- [Dara] Once the abstract patterns and pops of color on the side of the building have lured people in, they typically wanna find out what's on the inside.

- [Marie] It feels just very genuine and organic, and that's the energy that they create in here.

(relaxing music) - [Dara] Once you step inside the mercantile, the whimsical feel of the general store takes you away, from its bohemian home decor, smell of fresh flowers, to handcrafted soaps.

- I love how laid back it is in the sense like, I can just come in here, decompress, kind of step away from the world and just focus on me.

- [Dara] As you walk around, you'll also find several DIY stations where you can let your creativity flow by making jewelry, candles, putting cool logos on hats, or spice it up a bit and create your own seasoning blend, from the dozens of options.

- [Gracee] I love how new it feels, every time I come in here.

There's always something to try.

- You ready to check out?

- I am, I am!

- Oh good.

How are you today?

- I'm good, how are you?

- Good!

- [Dara] But what they can't put on the shelves and sell is the way employees make their customers feel.

- [Marie] Take it easy.

It's been a long work week.

What keeps me coming back in here is their authenticity, their inclusiveness for any and everyone.

- [Dara] And that isn't by accident.

- We wanted it to be a safe space.

We wanted to cater to everyone.

I'm a big activist, so it was important to me that the makeup of our store and the customer base was exactly what this town is.

- [Dara] Co-owner Brittany Kelly is a Rock Hill girl through and through.

She grew up watching people in her family own businesses here.

In 2018 when she and her husband Michael opened the mercantile, they wanted to shake things up.

- I was raised here in the south, so you know, you don't talk politics, you don't talk religion, you don't talk finances, all the things that you're not supposed to talk about, I was like, I'm gonna try a different business model.

- [Dara] And what that looks like is, starting an anti-bullying campaign, Rock Hill Pride and their Merck and Power program that allows black women to sell their products at the store.

- There was a big divide in the community with everybody.

So we're trying to be that bridge, that like, hey, it doesn't matter what side, no matter what, everybody's the same in here regardless.

So like come in.

This is the one place where everything's good.

- [Gracee] There's just so many people that come in, so many different types of people, and just hearing the perspectives of people in the community is really important too.

It's fun.

- Michael and Brittany don't just want their customers inside to feel a part of the community, but also those who don't have enough to eat, this fridge here is changing lives.

- [Brittany] It's open 24/7, no questions asked.

You know, if you go to other food banks, they might ask your income.

They might want you to sign up to join the church or show up to a few classes in lieu of getting some services and help, and we just didn't want any of those strings attached to it.

We wanted people who needed it to come because sometimes it's an embarrassing thing.

- [Dara] The idea to set up the community fridge that feeds over 250 people a day came to them while volunteering in local schools.

- They were telling us how hungry they were.

You know, mom and dad were working two, three jobs, maybe grandma was helping them study.

And so from there, we got together with some kids.

We started the community fridge and to just get food in these mouths of the kids.

- [Dara] The couple quickly learned, it wasn't just the youth who needed help.

- [Brittany] You know, the elderly community, the veterans were a lot of the people we were seeing come.

It was completely opposite of what I thought that it would be.

It's amazing to see how many hungry people there were.

- People need it.

It's a really tough time right now.

And one thing I can do is help out locally.

- [Dara] As Michael and Brittany used the Merck to create a better future for Rock Hill, they also haven't forgotten about its rich history.

That includes the building they're in.

- [Brittany] Hundred years old this year, and it was the old Coca-Cola factory and it has its own quirks.

There's lots of little things here and there that spout out to its history of the building with the red floors popping through at the bottom and just the old beams and the lift and things like that.

- [Dara] Locals say over the years, it was also a bike store and more recently, a pawn shop.

- We've heard from one of the guys that used to work in the pawn shop, he's the one, he actually came up and showed me all the bullet holes in the structural beams where they used to test the guns, which is an odd thing to test them on, but there's still bullets.

- [Dara] The building itself has a story to tell, but it's the people inside the keep the story going.

- Anytime someone comes in, we want them to feel at home.

We want them to feel like family.

- They bring me happiness.

I mean, because I know they're accepted here, - [Dara] Accepted and loved, exactly how they are.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.

- Thanks, Dara.

The DIY station prices range from $10 for bracelets to $32 for 16 ounce candles.

Do you have a cool story like this one?

We'd love to learn about it.

Please email the details to stories@wtvi.org.

Well, before we go this evening, I wanna thank the wonderful group of community homeschoolers who are in our audience this evening.

These young people were so well-behaved and had great questions.

Well, that does it for us this evening.

We're out of time.

We always appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you back here again, next time on "Carolina Impact."

Goodnight, my friends.

(bright music) - [Narrator] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

(bright music)