Change Starts Here

Trident Technical College employees and students brought home two major awards from the S.C. Technical Education Association conference held in Myrtle Beach Feb. 17-19. The college’s Student American Dental Hygiene Association won first place and $500 for its Oral Health-Underserved/At-risk Population Student Community Involvement Project. The Student Community Involvement Project Competition recognizes technical college student organizations, clubs or classes for excellence and professionalism in the area of community service and engagement. The Innovative Global Manufacturing Partnership Team of of Robert Elliott, Tim Fulford, George Greene, Randy Grimes, Jason Harvey, Stephen Mason and Zachary Weaver won the A. Wade Martin Innovation Team of the Year Award and $1,000. The Technical College System Foundation presents the A. Wade Martin Innovation Team of the Year Award to recognize a team of people who work interdependently and innovatively to meet changing needs and make a signi...

Patricia Lute First Place 2021 Future Alumni Essay Contest 2020 came to all of us like any new year, fresh and full of promise. However, just a mere three months into the blossoming year a swiftly circulating pandemic swept through every corner of the globe, collectively pausing our lives, and leaving distant memories of life without constraint. Days began melting into nights effortlessly, time became inconsequential and amid this pause; death would come in rapid succession with profound numbers. Within these moments of panic and chaos, the choice to continue my education and the desire to help create a positive impact in the lives of those whose health was declining was formed. As a stay-at-home mom of two daughters, time isn’t easily afforded. When brick and mortar schools shuttered their doors; the world of online education opened theirs. I knew who I wanted to become; I’ve honestly known it since I was a small child. I was destined to become a nurse. It was with this dream; albeit ...

Kimiyonn Sadler Second Place 2021 Future Alumni Essay Contest Academic achievement has been on my agenda since the beginning, but life has a way of humbling us all. Being a high achiever is something that came naturally for me. I was determined to use my intelligence to accomplish remarkable things in life. I wanted to create an exceptional life for my family and I. I took the smart, straight, and narrow path of consistent straight A’s, several academic accolades, and plenty of college acceptances. I made plans for university straight out of high school like any other bright-eyed, bushy tailed 18-year old. Unfortunately, the pressures were too much for me to thrive properly. Finances were short. Navigating university as a first-generation student with no guidance was not an easy feat. A stable support system was non-existent. Often, I struggled to adapt to the unfamiliar environment and felt out of place. My mental health declined, making my college experience sufferable and too much t...

Kimon Noel Third Place 2021 Future Alumni Essay Contest Kansas sang to us in 1977, implanting the thought that all we are is dust in the wind exemplifying how fragile and brief of an existence we yearn to enjoy. 44 years later and those words became a personal gospel floating around in the atmosphere of uncertainty.  Imagine a windy day at the beach and the free-spirited unsaturated sand being blown and swept around with each draft. The many millions of grains with unpredictable futures and no discernable destiny just taking flight with the current of opportunity. Some find themselves leaving their sandy counterparts behind for rocky and muddy seaside fickleness while others make their way towards the vast ocean of the job market. In one way or the other, we are somewhere between deep ocean water diving in the depths of our academic rewards or relaxing unfavorably behind the cumulative mounds of sand wondering what's beyond it.  This was particularly my mental status’ home add...

TTC President Mary Thornley joined other technical college presidents this month at a press conference where the governor announced a new technical college scholarship program for South Carolina residents. Designed to address the state's labor shortage,  Workforce Scholarships for the Future will cover the cost of tuition and required fees for recent high school graduates and adults who enroll for Spring Semester 2022, the pilot phase of the initiative.  The governor hopes to secure additional funding in the next legislative session that will allow the scholarship program to continue next fall. Students in most credit programs (except AA and AS programs) will be eligible for a scholarship, as well as students who enroll in noncredit programs in high-demand fields that lead to an industry certificate and/or credential. The program goals are to reduce the cost of higher education in the Palmetto State, lower student loan debt for South Carolinians, produce a highly-skilled work...

Students from Trident Tech, Clemson University, Brigham Young University, Purdue University, Tuskegee University, Qatar Aeronautical Academy and the University of Patras came together on Thornley Campus Oct. 12-13 to kick off a two-semester capstone project to design, manufacture and fly an unmanned aerial vehicle. The U.S.-based university students will collaborate to design a UAV, addressing technical areas of aerodynamics, materials, propulsion, manufacturing, structures, sensors and controls. The university project lead, Clemson, will coordinate closely with Trident Tech students, who will evaluate the vehicle’s manufacturability and maintenance and aid in vehicle production. Trident Tech students in advanced CNC machining will participate in the design review, manufacturing and assembly in the S.C. Aeronautical Training Center advanced manufacturing lab.  The project is being sponsored by Barzan Aeronautical , providing $28,000 for the Barzan Aerospace Capstone Design Program ...