Success Stories
Holly is called 'Ms. Clemente' by her students. And they call her often.
When she was in college, Holly was blessed with a great support system of family and friends. But as a Virginia College instructor, she knows some students face obstacles alone, like transportation, health issues and child care. So Holly helps them solve their problems so they can concentrate on changing their lives.
She believes that everyone who wants to succeed and is willing to work hard should have the opportunity to succeed. And she puts that belief into motion for her students.
She's always there for them. No problem is too big; no problem is too small. Like a bulldozer, she helps clear obstacles from her students' path. And to Holly, every student at Virginia College—whether in her class or not—is one of her students.
Holly knows you can't teach someone if you don't connect with them. And you can't connect with someone unless you truly care for them.
Sometimes success starts when you go the extra mile to make sure someone else gets ahead.
Carol is an Admissions Associate at Virginia College. She works with recent high school graduates, career changers and working parents. She helps these people see their potential. Then she encourages them to reach it.
When she first met Desmond in her office, he didn't seem to think much of himself or his future. But Carol didn't just see a young man slumping in a chair. She saw a success story in the making.
He needed some help on the assessment test for entry into the college. Carol made sure he got it.
He needed something else: a reminder that someone believed in him. She gave him that, too.
Carol followed Desmond's progress throughout his career at Virginia College. She watched him grow and evolve each day in class. She listened, she inspired, she pushed.
But there was one place Desmond didn't need pushing: on the stage at his graduation.
Carol will tell you: there's only one Desmond. But she and hundreds of Virginia College staff and faculty have plenty of listening, inspiring and believing to go around.
Sometimes success starts when someone perceives who you think you are…and believes in you anyway.
People used to think Desmond had potential. But he couldn't find a way to reach it. People started giving up on Desmond, and, eventually, Desmond did, too.
But something was going on with him—something stronger than the negative opinions of others. He wanted to do something with his life, something important. He wanted a career. That's why a friend referred Desmond to Virginia College.
There, he met Carol, an Admissions Associate. Desmond had never been a star student, and didn't do well on the assessment test for admission. But Carol set him up with tutoring and encouraged him. He did the work. Soon he passed the assessment with flying colors and entered Virginia College.
Carol didn't just see Desmond's potential—she helped Desmond find the best possible way to reach that potential. Carol believed in Desmond and, eventually, Desmond did, too.
Now, Desmond is a successful graduate of Virginia College.
Sometimes success starts when someone sees a fire in you…and they hold your feet to it.
On the second day of class in his first quarter at Virginia College, John was asked to turn on his computer. His response: "How do I do that?"
That's not where his story began, though. It began without direction or purpose. But John wanted to change his path and needed a college to help him navigate to a brighter future.
John Suit found such a place at Virginia College.
He also found a place that felt right for him, a career college for all kinds of learners—even those who don't fit the "typical student" profile. By the time he graduated from Virginia College with his associate's degree, John had earned every industry certification offered in his program area.
But that was only the beginning of his transformation.
John volunteered to help when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Using his new skills, he worked 14 hours a day, 7 days a week helping to rebuild computer network infrastructure.
Then, with the inspiration of his grandfather, his path led him toward accomplishing another goal—his bachelor's degree. He was accepted at a large state university but it didn't feel right to John. So he returned to Virginia College and earned that degree, too.
Today, John's skills are in big demand. He travels all over the world as a high-level engineer, designing and building computer networks.
Sometimes success starts when the will to survive leads to a journey without limits.
Lucy Smith's career path hasn't been a straight line. At first, her head directed her to the corporate world, but her heart had other ideas.
After graduating from a big state university, Lucy took a job at a brokerage firm in Atlanta. The corporate environment didn't allow for a lot of self-expression. She's always been creative, and creativity is not easily suppressed.
So Lucy made the decision to go back to school. She enrolled in Virginia College so she could learn the skills she needed to put her creativity to work for her. After graduating, she worked at an interior design firm. Then she decided to use her design training to open her own business. Today, Lucy owns a thriving company that creates and manufactures custom furniture.
Sometimes success starts when what you love to do becomes what you live to do.
Dr. Luis Pineda is a cancer specialist. While visiting his patients in the hospital, he noticed untouched trays of food. He realized that sore mouths and sensitive stomachs—some of the effects of cancer treatment—made eating difficult. He also knew that proper nutrition was vital to healing.
So Dr. Pineda set out to help his patients renew a love for food that cancer had taken away. He enrolled in Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College to learn how to combine his knowledge of medicine with the art of cooking.
Today, Chef Pineda's dishes help relieve the side effects of cancer treatments. He's a cookbook author and lecturer on the subject. His recipes, born out of a desire to serve beyond his calling, help restore appetites and have allowed thousands with cancer to rediscover the joy of good food.
Sometimes success starts when someone realizes that the best medicine doesn't always come from a lab. It comes from the heart.