Change Starts Here

Moving can be difficult for most teenagers, but when it's to another country, it can be even more intimidating.America Martinez Gonzalez moved to the United States from Mexico with her parents at the age of 18. She eventually learned English by watching the television show, "Friends."She says, “Because of the language barrier, I felt so insecure about meeting new people. But "Friends" helped me overcome the struggle and I laughed a lot while doing so.”Now she has two teenagers of her own and is one semester away from getting her associate degree in Baking and Pastry at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College. Her dream is to open a Hispanic bakery.For years Gonzalez would drive by Thornley Campus in North Charleston thinking how nice it must be to study there. At the time, she did not have a social security number, a high school diploma or the money to go to college. She thought the American dream was beyond her reach.“I never thought …

Trident Technical College announced the 2019-20 SKIP Award recipients at the college’s annual faculty and staff meeting, held virtually for the first time due to social distancing restrictions as a result of COVID-19.
The SKIPs were created by former Trident Tech vice president and former TTC Foundation Trustee, Skip Godow, to identify and reward employees who are setting an example of innovation at TTC. "Good is the enemy of great," Godow said. “We should always be striving for great. That takes creativity, imagination and innovation.”

The nominations exemplify innovation that significantly enhances the student experience, improves an administrative process or puts TTC on the cutting edge. Awards were given in each of two categories, non-instructional and instructional.

The Phi Theta Kappa Advisory team of Carmela Gordon, Daryl Milligan, Brenda Oxford, Mozell Rollerson and Chris Solomon won the non-instructional award for the PTK Grocery Vault. 
In 2019, this team decided to …

The Trident Technical College Foundation is pleased to announce six new members to the board of trustees. These outstanding individuals bring a variety of professional and personal experiences that will help the Foundation continue its mission to advocate and raise funds for Trident Technical College to support the region’s economy.

Karena M. Bell is the founder and CEO of Tiger Team Enterprises, a nationwide executive recruiting and talent acquisition firm. With over 25 years of experience, Bell is a trusted expert in relationship-based executive recruiting, with a proven track record in finding and placing key individuals across organizations to drive the strategic goals within the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Life Sciences industries. 
Bell originates from Detroit, MI, and is proud to call Charleston, SC her home since 2013. She has a B.A. in Business Management from Northwood University and M.B.A. from University of South Carolina-Darla Moore School of Business.…

When life throws you one challenge after another, you start to appreciate the small wins. 
For Trident Tech student Kristi Salvo, receiving a new laptop through the Student Urgent Needs (SUN) fund was a game-changer. 
Like students across the country, Salvo’s in-person classes were abruptly switched to an online format this spring due to COVID-19. But she knew her older computer couldn’t keep up with the online demands and she couldn't afford to buy a new one.

“I was already dealing with a lot and it felt like this was going to be the thing that would break me,” she said.

Salvo, a veteran of the US Air Force, struggles with health issues, including a back injury and a severe autoimmune disorder. In March, she and her husband separated, leaving her to juggle the responsibility of being a student, while also being a teacher to their two young children. All this, while trying to stay healthy and safe during a global pandemic.

After Salvo and her children moved into a smaller, more affor…

In addition to generous gifts from many individual donors, the Trident Technical College Foundation recently received awards from the following organizations to support TTC students:
Bank of America awarded $30,000 to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Student Urgent Needs fund. Through this fund, the college provides one-time financial support to students who, as a result of unforeseen and urgent financial circumstances, are at risk of withdrawing from classes.
The Coastal Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund provided $8,000 to
purchase laptops for students who need them to complete their coursework online. 
The Exchange Club of Charleston awarded $2,000 for the Student Mission to Increase Lifelong Excellent Oral Health (SMILE Oral Health) program. The funding will support Dental Hygiene students’ outreach and education programs for Title I elementary school children, enabling them to purchase dental models for instruction and to provide oral hygiene ite…

Robert Anderson hadn’t yet graduated from Trident Technical College when he was offered an IT job with the local bank in his Pennsylvania hometown. The year was 1966, and the job was a systems analyst on an IBM mainframe computer located at another company.
The other company was 23 miles away.

“In those days, a computer was a major investment, and it was common for businesses to share computing time,” said Anderson. 
If something went wrong with the program - which could happen at any time, in any weather -  he would drive to the computer center, debug the program and stay to make sure the bank application finished and the bank's customer accounts were up to date the following morning. 

“Roads could be very slippery; there was this one hill that my car would sometimes slide back down,” he laughed.

Anderson wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he graduated from high school, so he decided to join the Air Force. He was stationed around the country and in England, from where he toured …