Change Starts Here

Coqui-Anna Turner has always had a lot on her plate. Growing up in upstate NY among five siblings and absentee parents, she learned to take care of herself. She worked hard in school because she knew that education was the way out of poverty. And although neither of her parents went to college, “It was always just a given that we would all go,” she said. But it's not always that simple. Turner became pregnant and had a child in high school, which complicated her plans, but she remained steadfast in her focus, and with support from her family, she earned an Associate Degree in medical assisting. Turner enjoyed working as a medical assistant because she was able to gain experience in many different areas of the hospital. After several years, she decided she wanted to take her career to the next level and become a nurse, and she wanted that to happen in Charleston. “My grandmother is from Charleston and we grew up visiting the area. I just knew I would always end up here,” she said.

Shelly Eicher, TTC alum and assistant general manager and VP at Raycap Stealth, joined the TTC Foundation Board of Trustees in 2013 and serves on the college’s scholarship committee. We asked her about her experience as a student, foundation trustee and scholarship donor. What did you study at Trident Tech?   I already had an undergraduate degree in accounting. I enrolled at TTC for additional classes so I could apply for admission into the Physician Assistant program at MUSC. Out of 1500 applicants, MUSC only accepted 15 and I was not one of the 15. Ironically it all worked out. The company I was working for part-time hired me full time, the very same day I found out that I did not get accepted into the MUSC program. Twenty-one years later I am still working at that same company. There is no way I would be where I am today both personally and professionally without my Trident Tech experience. What was the biggest surprise about Trident Tech?  How much I loved going to classes and how