Category — Student Profiles

Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) named graduating students Jonathan Westley Hicks and Amanda Renfroe as recipients of the 2009-2010 President‘s and Vice President’s Awards, respectively. The College presents the awards during commencement each spring in acknowledgment of students’ exceptional academic performance. Both recipients are graduating summa cum laude with 4.0 grade point averages.

Hicks and Renfroe are among nearly 1,000 students who have applied to graduate during the 2009-2010 academic year. This figure includes students who completed their curriculum requirements in summer 2009, fall 2009, and those who have applied for graduation in spring 2010. Graduating students will receive certificates, career studies certificates, or a combination of these academic credentials. Criteria for the President’s and Vice President’s awards include attaining the highest cumulative grade point average, completing at least 60 semester hours of course work and receiving an Associate’s Degree for the current year, among other criteria.

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A Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) Nursing student has been selected as a 2010 Coca-Cola Bronze Scholar. Donna Terry was selected based on scores earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and administered by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society.

As a Bronze Scholar, Terry will be listed among gold and silver scholars in a special section of USA Today and she will receive $1,000.

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Last year, John Mitchell walked into Thomas Nelson Community College Workforce Development looking for a successful career. One year later, he is living his dream. On July 22, he began his career as a nuclear pharmacist technician and plans to continue on his path to becoming a nuclear pharmacist.

The Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program is just one example of accelerated workforce training that TNCC offers for in-demand careers. These programs are ideal for dislocated workers who need to train for new careers quickly and for busy adults who want to increase their earning potential. Mitchell used the services of the One-Stop center to search for a career and identify funding to help finance his education. The Center is located in the Peninsula Workforce Development Center adjacent to the TNCC Hampton campus.

“Everyone said it would take me five years, but I didn’t have that long,” says Mitchell. Thanks to TNCC I was able to finish the program in three months and start my new career within one year.” [Read more →]

Thomas Nelson Community College named graduating students Matthew Paul Faubion and Sandra Joy Brooks as recipients of 2008-2009 President‘s and Vice President’s Awards, respectively. The College presents the awards during commencement each spring in acknowledgment of students’ exceptional academic performance. Both recipients are graduating summa cum laude with 4.0 grade point averages.

Criteria for the awards include attaining the highest cumulative grade point average (GPA), completing at least 60 semester hours of course work and receiving an Associate’s Degree for the current year, among other criteria.

Faubion enrolled at TNCC in 2007 and has completed the requirements for an Associate of Science in Social Science. He plans to study Sociology/Criminology at Christopher Newport University in the fall and become a police officer, but his goals don’t stop there. Ultimately, he envisions himself as a local government official, possibly a mayor. “TNCC was excellent to prepare me for life at a four-year college. The teachers’ one-on-one interactions with the students really helped to facilitate a better learning environment,” Faubion said.

Faubion juggled his studies with a job as a waiter at Surry House Restaurant, but working didn’t impede his academic success. He maintained grades sufficient for membership in Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society for two-year colleges.

In his spare time, Faubion leads the youth group at Surry United Methodist Church and plays bass guitar. He is also a member of 4-H, an organization that promotes leadership, citizenship and more. Faubion resides in Surry County. His parents are Kent Faubion of Mount Pleasant, S.C. and Jeannie Rowland of Surry County.

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The Daily Press

One person peeks out of the top of a tote bag asking for help. Another person stops eating a sandwich and opens the bread to reveal a miniature person standing inside.

These were some of the initial images created by students using the new green-screen production studio at Thomas Nelson Community College. Those attending professor Cece Wheeler’s multimedia design class Thursday tried it for the first time, welcoming a giant new innovation to the computer arts department, which Wheeler heads.

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A grant from the National Science Foundation to the College of William & Mary has given Thomas Nelson Community College students Josh Froneberger, Shenna Sikora and Eduardo Davila-Reyes the opportunity to conduct scientific research. For 10 weeks this summer, the three students are working with W&M faculty on different aspects of the Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) population ecology research in the Williamsburg area. The grant-funded program intends to provide research opportunities in math and biology to undergraduate students and encourage community college students to continue their education at the College of William & Mary. Students receive a stipend and are provided room and board.

Project descriptions:

Eddie and Shenna are working on an independent project in which they test how well sounds of begging baby birds transmit through the walls of various kinds of birdhouses. This is important because parents may DEPEND ON the begging signals, to determine how often to feed their babies, OR how healthy their babies are, for example. Noise pollution may affect communication in birds, and this topic is unexplored when it comes to babies communicating to parents and vice versa. Project directed by Pro. John Swaddle, jpswad@wm.edu
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Josh is tracking baby bluebirds with radio-transmitters in tiny backpacks that don’t impede the bird’s flight. This allows him to find the birds each day to determine if they are alive or dead and where they have gone. By measuring the habitat around SURVIVING AND DECEASED birds, Josh is hoping to determine which land management practices (i.e. TRIMMING trees, planting shrubs, etc.) help young bluebirds to survive. Directed by Prof. Daniel Cristol, dacris@wm.edu 221 2405

About the Students:

* Josh has had previous experience researching species distribution in Southern California and was a student on the recent Ecology trip to Nicaragua. He wants to complete a Bachelor’s of Science degree followed by a Ph.D. in Biology/ Ecology. Josh will continue at TNCC this fall.

* Shenna was a student last year on the Costa Rican ecology and language field trip and is currently completing General Biology. She also would like to complete a Bachelor’s of Science degree followed by a Ph.D. in Biology. Shenna will continue at TNCC this fall.

* Eduardo is on the Vice President’s List for Academic Achievement and previously served as a Special Forces Battalion Nuclear Biological Chemical Non- Commissioned Officer. His tours of duty included Afghanistan. Eduardo will be completing a degree in Biology at W&M and then hopes to enter Pharmacy School.

Congratulations to all 3 of these TNCC students!  This is our 4th year with this NSF grant for which faculty members Sandy Spain and Jackie Spencer serve as TNCC co-coordinators.

For Keishera “KeiKei” White graduating cum laude from Thomas Nelson Community College earlier this month marked yet another significant triumph in her life. Throughout her 28 years she has lived with a rare form of cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound. When her peers took the stage to receive their awards on graduation day, White proudly took a position out front to accept her Associate of Applied Science in Human Services degree.

“…from the beginning of my life I had obstacles to try to hold me back, but I didn’t let that stop me … The doctors called me a ‘miracle baby.’ I spent the first 16 days of my life in the hospital without bonding with my mother,” says White, explaining that she suffered a severe lack of oxygen at birth that resulted in cerebral palsy.

Determination to meet and beat any challenge has driven the Bethel High School honor graduate ever since. “I type with a head stick in order to get my work done. I also have my own apartment. I can say that I truly enjoy life,” she notes.

While attending TNCC, White was a student worker in the Admissions Office and participated in several campus activities. Having graduated with a 3.3 grade point average, she is now enrolled at Old Dominion University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Services. She attributes her success and positive attitude to her family.

“My mom took the word ‘can’t’ out of my vocabulary. She used to say you can do it, it might take you a little longer to do it but you can do it. The word ‘can’t’ was just like a curse word in our household,” she recalls.

White aspires to a future in social advocacy guided by her personal experiences. She was mainstreamed into regular second grade classes at age 10 after three years of “fighting the system to get me into regular classes.”

“…I want to be a liaison between the court system and children with disabilities. I also want to be an advocate for people with disabilities. My family had to fight all of my life for me to participate in anything I wanted to do so I feel that I am a true expert in not taking no for an answer,” White adds.

A life time of activity and community involvement clearly show White’s can-do spirit. From as early as age 2, she was regularly spotlighted in a local newspaper, the Daily Press, for such feats as membership on a youth cheerleading squad.

Among other honors, achievements and affiliations are:

• National Honor Society membership;
• GI Joe Real American Hero – presented with Medallion of Merit by Senator Charles Robb;
• Social Services of Newport News internship;
• Sharon Stewart Coles Law Office internship;
• Volunteer for Transitional Youth Program, Leisure Activities Program, Voting Polls, Mary Christian Campaign, Hampton City Hall Greeters Program, Youth Leadership Forum, and Winners of Wheels Club and
• Hampton Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities membership, to name a few.

The daughter of Roscoe and Gwendolyn White of Hampton, she is planning a summer 2010 wedding with her boyfriend of seven years, Kenneth Moore, also of Hampton.

To request an interview with Ms. White, please contact the Office of Public Relations at Thomas Nelson Community College at 825-3811.

Release #08-0535

Thomas Nelson Community College has named the following graduating students as the recipients of the President and Vice-President Awards for the 2007-2008 graduating class: Valerie Murray Link and Amanda Leigh Collier.

Valerie Murray Link is the recipient of the President’s Award for this year’s graduating class. Link is being recognized for her academic achievements during the pursuit of an Associate of Science degree in Business. She is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). She is currently employed by Swiss Log as a Quality Manager. This fall, she will continue her education at Old Dominion University where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/ Information Systems Technology.

Link, who has been a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the College’s International Honor Society deems her experience at TNCC positive. “The College’s flexible class schedule enabled me to complete my associate’s degree while working full-time,” she says. “I had dedicated instructors who helped me get the most out of each class. TNCC is a great college that allows students right out of high school or adults who want to get a degree to pursue their higher education goals.”�
Link resides in Newport News with husband, Russell and their two children, Michael and Tara.

Amanda Leigh Collier is the recipient of the Vice-President’s Award for this year’s graduating class. Collier is being recognized for her academic achievements during the pursuit of an Associate of Science in Social Science. She is graduating Summa Cum Laude, with a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). In the fall, she will transfer to Old Dominion University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in History. Her ultimate educational goal is to get a Master’s degree in History.

Collier, who has also been a member of Phi Theta Kappa says that she has had a pleasant time attending TNCC and that she has acquired valuable knowledge.

Collier resides in Newport News. Her parents are David and Colleen Collier also of Newport News.
The President’s and Vice-President’s awards are presented at the College’s commencement ceremonies each spring. Criteria for these awards include, attaining the highest cumulative GPA, completing at least 60 semester hours of course work, receiving an associate’s degree for the current year, and taking an active role in college activities.

Release #08-0532