Change Starts Here

The  Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeships  (CRYA) program celebrated career education with hundreds of students, business leaders, educators, and funders at Signing Day 2021. The event was held on Thursday, July 29, at the College Center on TTC’s Thornley Campus in North Charleston. Former CNA/pre-nursing youth apprentice Kevin Boyd shares a laugh with Dr. Thornley reflecting on his time working at Roper St. Francis Hospital as a young high school student aspiring to attend medical school. He is currently a student at Duke University.   Signing Day 2021 recognized the eighth signing class of over 70 new youth apprentices from the tricounty area, with many more still being hired for the 2021-22 academic school year. The event, sponsored by RegionsBank , began with opening remarks from TTC President, Dr. Mary Thornley. It was highlighted by a panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Thornley with four current and former...

Education feels out of reach for so many, even at an institution as affordable as Trident Technical College. Although approximately 80% of TTC students receive federal financial aid, many still struggle to afford post-secondary education. That's where TTC Foundation Scholarships come in. Last year, more than 400 students received $428,000 in scholarships, and this year we are poised to award even more scholarships. Keith Rumrill, Director of Development, manages the scholarship program and says that when someone asks about funding a scholarship, they are often surprised at how little it takes. "Scholarship donors quickly recognize the impact they can make with as little as $1,000, which would fund an award for one year or $500 for a semester," he said.  Scholarships financially assist students with tuition, fees, equipment and books, even if they are receiving other aid.  As we read the thank you letters of grateful students, we are reminded of the other significant, oft...

When respiratory therapist Karen Simmons transitioned from a clinical career to teaching, she never would have guessed that a respiratory virus would be responsible for a global pandemic just six months later.  “It felt weird not to be in the middle of it, but I realized that my impact would be much greater by teaching and advocating for the profession,” she says Simmons graduated from Trident Tech in 1997 and went on to treat patients for more than 20 years. Now, as the clinical coordinator for the Respiratory Therapy program at the College, she is hoping more students decide to go into the field.  "Respiratory therapists are in high-demand, playing a critical role in the fight against the Coronavirus," she says.  Respiratory therapists focus on the treatment, management, control, evaluation and care of patients who have trouble breathing. They typically care for patients with chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema, as well as patients who suffer from...

Dillon Spires was in his last semester at Trident Technical College and nearing graduation from the Medical Laboratory Technical (MLT) program last Spring when COVID-19 hit. “I remember walking into clinical thinking that COVID-19 would certainly become an issue soon. That same day clinicals were canceled until further notice,” he said. While this could have delayed his graduation from the program, MLT faculty worked with him to fulfill the remaining clinical requirement. He was already working as a Lab Assistant at Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital, so he was able to use some of his work experience to fulfill clinical requirements and schedule training time for the areas that he still needed clinical experience. Spires joined the Air Force in 2011 after graduating high school in Eastman, Ga. He served for seven years, first in Omaha, Nebraska supporting reconnaissance aircraft and then at Joint Base Charleston supporting C-17 aircraft. He met his future wife in Nebraska and t...

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 wher...

Trident Tech Nursing alum Jennifer Kelly arrived in New York City in April - ready, willing and determined to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But she quickly realized that no amount of education or experience (including her eight years as a nurse) could have fully prepared her for what she was about to face. “It was surreal at first. I landed at JFK, one of the biggest airports in the country, and it was practically empty. My biggest worry was driving in the city, but there were very few people on the road,” she said. Kelly’s decision to go to New York for the four-week assignment was not taken lightly. She was eager to help on the front lines of the pandemic and her husband and three children were very supportive of her going. But she was hesitant to leave her colleagues. She works at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and had been a supervisor at the drive-thru testing site from day one. She was reluctant to leave the team she had grown very close to as they faced such...

E arning a college degree is challenging enough. But for single parents, it can seem like an insurmountable feat. Costs like living expenses and childcare only add to the stress of paying tuition. Making time to study usually means waiting until after the kids are in bed, leading to added exhaustion and stress.  When Joyce Antonetty attended Trident Technical College as a single parent of two young children, she knew it would be difficult. But she was determined to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a Fitness Specialist.  “I wanted to help people become a healthier version of themselves,” says Joyce. Joyce had been down this road before. Like many Trident Tech students, she had attended a four-year college immediately after high school. But when she was waitlisted to enter the Physical Therapy program at MUSC, she postponed her dream in order to start a family.  Joyce's life took an unexpected turn when she went through a divorce in 2010. She held se...

What do you get when you combine sparkling beverages, posh prizes and endless rounds of Bingo? Bubbles & Blingo of course! On May 11, 2019,  Trident Technical College Foundation  and the  Culinary Institute of Charleston  hosted the inaugural Bubbles & Blingo fundraiser in support of Trident Technical College. Guests were greeted with cotton candy-topped champagne as they made their way to a welcome reception featuring a photo booth equipped with hilarious props, resulting in some unforgettable photos. Some even arrived camera-ready with table themes like “Jolly Roger Pirates” and “Hot Tamales!” As attendees entered the ballroom for the main event, they were treated to a mouthwatering brunch selection created and served by the faculty and students of CIC, including a chicken and waffle station, shrimp and grits cakes and Greek or Italian frittata omelets. Floral centerpieces adorned each table and were accompanied by a tower of delect...

Itaski Jenkins started classes at Trident Tech (then called Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Technical Education Center) in 1969 and never left. Until now, that is. As Trident Tech's longest-serving employee in the college's history, Jenkins has decided to retire. "Now that I am retiring, (TTC President) Dr. Thornley can finally claim that spot," she jokes. Jenkins earned a diploma in computer operating in 1970 and became a TTC employee the same year. She has worked in the library  ever since, most recently serving as circulation/interlibrary loan specialist. Through the TTC Foundation's tuition assistance program for full-time employees, she continued her education while working at TTC, earning an Associate in Arts degree in 1999. Because she was able to benefit from TTC Foundation programs, she has always given back, contributing to the annual campaign every year that she was employed. "I always supported the employee campaign because I want o...

Peden Rucker enjoyed a successful college baseball career at USC Aiken and had just finished his first season pitching for the Riverhawks, a minor league baseball team in Rockford, Ill when he decided to turn in his baseball cap for a chef's hat. “I was talking to a friend who was moving to Charleston and I started thinking about how I always wanted to go to culinary school. So I flipped a coin and the rest is history,” he laughs. He stopped playing baseball and enrolled at the  Culinary Institute of Charleston (CIC).   He wanted to channel his energy and passion into cooking, which was nurtured from a young age by his grandmother. He made the right choice. Peden is now the culinary director at Patrick Properties Hospitality Group, and he credits his instructors at CIC for inspiring him and making him want to get better. “It was awesome. They are amazing chefs and I learned so much from every one of them,” he says. While still in college, his very first food and...

Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital CEO and TTC Alum Anthony Jackson had always known that he could find success in the medical field. But as a first-generation college student from Aiken, SC, he wasn’t sure how he would get there.  He started looking around the state and found the Radiologic Technology program at Trident Technical College. “Actually,” he says, “I always say, ‘Trident found me.’” Coming from a small town, he was surprised and relieved to find so much comfort at TTC. The college provided him with an environment where he could thrive. “The faculty advisors were so nurturing and encouraging. They got to know me as an individual and helped me develop my strengths, which gave me the confidence to be successful,” he says. He says that Roper St. Francis works very hard to attract the best and brightest students from TTC and has made a number of hires directly from the college. “What I find most impressive about the students from TTC is their...

You could say that Trident Technical College alum Tom Pinckney started attending college when he was about 10 years old. He would often go to work with his dad, who taught accounting at TTC, so that he could get access to the computers. “I really liked playing around with computers, mostly games, but it was the beginning for me,” says Tom. As he got older, he started sitting in on some of the computer programming classes and completing assignments from the classes, like writing programs to do payroll and other business tasks. He eventually decided he would just take all of his classes at Trident Tech, as opposed to traditional high school. He went on to take classes at the College of Charleston and then graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for undergrad and grad school. “I like to tell people that Trident Tech taught me all of the practical things about programming and MIT taught me all the theoretical things, so between the two I was covered,” he laughs. ...

Trident Tech alum Jessica Sage never imagined that she would someday take over the family business, Charleston’s Rigging & Marine Hardware Inc. (DBA Carolina’s Rigging) with her brother, Skip.  In fact, their father, Rick Sawin, was always very much against it. “He saw too many businesses fail after the next generation took over,” says Jessica.  After graduating from Wando High School, Jessica was not sure exactly what she wanted to do, so she enrolled at Trident Technical College. It was there, while taking a class with TTC Instructor Michael Reed, she discovered an interest in environmental technology. Reed served as a mentor to her and strongly encouraged her to transfer to College of Charleston , where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Soon after graduation, she found success working for ArborGen, Inc., a provider of conventional and advanced genetics tree seedling products, and was named on a patented process of harvesting plant embr...

Pictured (l-r) Angela, Gil, Mike, Linda, Nick, Brook, Bryon and Scott in front of Leatherwood Manufacturing in North Charleston. The Trident Technical College family mourns the loss of student, Bryon Leatherwood. In his honor, we would like to share a story from 2013, featuring Byron and others in his family who have attended TTC. The Leatherwoods are long-time supporters of the college and our thoughts and prayers are with them all during this difficult time. _________________________________________________________________________ Wh at family traditions do you have? For Mike Leatherwood, president of Leatherwood Manufacturing in North Charleston, education at Trident Technical College has become an intergenerational family tradition.  Leatherwood has been an on-going student since the early 1970’s. His two sons, Scott and Gil Leatherwood, are TTC graduates, as is Gil’s wife Angela. Scott holds two associate degrees in industrial technology and welding technology. Gil a...

By Emily Jax, '16 Last spring, I graduated from Trident Technical College, packed up my Chevy Cruze and drove to Minneapolis, where I was eager to start a new job as a registered nurse at the Mayo Clinic.  It was a long journey – about 1,300 miles - but my personal journey started years ago, and there were many twists in the road. When I was a young child, I was often scolded by my parents for being disobedient and not listening. But what they did not realize at the time was that I lived in a very quiet world of my own and it turned out that I could not even hear them. I was eventually diagnosed with moderate sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, which meant much of what I heard was muted, if I heard anything at all. When my parents realized what was going on, they took me to an audiologist and, at the age of five, I received hearing aids. Even though the hearing aids were helpful, I still struggled. I was insecure and thought that my hearing loss would limit me. When I ...

Going from a scared, troubled child to a goal-oriented, professional woman in just a few short years would never have been possible without Trident Technical College (TTC). My happiest memory was when I was five and visited my very first film set in my hometown of Covington, Georgia. Seeing so many people and hearing them shout, “places, people!” made me realize this is exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. I set out to learn everything I could about the film industry by setting up mock sets, taking old cameras apart and destroying any electronic equipment I could get my hands on. But my innocent, childhood dreams were quickly forgotten. My mother began to struggle with drugs and alcohol, and I was often left to fend for myself with little food and no running water or electricity. When I was 15, I was alone in the house and heard the front door open. Two large men came bursting into my bedroom, brutally attacked and attempted to kidnap me.     They told me ...