“The
family has done so much for our community. Not just by donating, but
giving their time when they don’t have to,” said Reid during his remarks.
Reid
graduated from TTC last spring with an associate degree and represents one of the many individuals that have
benefited from the generosity of the Zucker family.
But
Reid knew who the Zuckers were even before he came to TTC. He and his wife
Martha are die-hard fans of the South Carolina Stingrays and as newlyweds,
their first major purchase together wasn’t a house or a car. It was season tickets to the Stingrays.
Reid
and his wife saw Mrs. Zucker and her family on a regular basis at season
ticket-holder functions. He says, “Ask any Stingray fan about the Zuckers and
you won’t find a single person who doesn’t smile and isn’t glad to talk about
how amazing they are. It’s like we are all one giant family from October to
April.”
But
the Zuckers later made an impact on Reid’s education, in a way that he didn’t
expect.
When
he graduated from college with a degree in biology, he hoped to work for the Department of
Natural Resources or a research facility monitoring wildlife populations.
Unfortunately,
there were few jobs at the time of his
graduation, which happened to be during the recession. Reid took a job as a
wildlife removal specialist for a pest control company and began to seek out mentoring and help in order to find a career that would make him happy. Reid was put in contact with a manager of a major chemical
plant in the area, who told him that there was a good future in manufacturing
automation and introduced Reid
to the program at TTC.
“I
was burned out on college and really didn’t feel like I wanted to go back. I was 26 and most of my friends had already
been in the workforce for a few years. I felt a little behind,” said Reid.
Nevertheless,
he decided to give it a shot and enrolled in the Electrician: Automation and Industrial program. On his first day of
class, he entered the electro-mechanical lab in the Industrial Maintenance
Training Center and right away knew he was in the right place.
“I
saw a plaque on the wall that said ‘Sponsored by the Zucker Family.’ I was so nervous about going back to school and that sign helped
me. It was like seeing part of my
family.”
Reid
spent a good portion of his time in that lab, which provided him with an
extraordinary amount of information and very valuable hands-on experience, and he
never missed a chance to tell his classmates about the importance of the plaque
and just who it was that donated the lab.
Reid
said he “felt it was important for them to know who in the community is
supporting us. Had it not been for the generosity of the Zucker family, our
program would not be able to boast a 100% job placement rate.”
Reid
graduated with three job offers and recently accepted a position with SCE&G. He is also considering plans to continue his
schooling.
There
were over 500 people at the event on Sunday night when Reid spoke during a program that boasted many prominent leaders, including Senator Lindsey Graham and
College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell. To some, this might have been intimidating
but Reid captivated the audience with his passion for learning and drive for success.
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