Change Starts Here

Brian Smith Future Alumni Essay Contest - 2016 Winner Alumni is the plural of the Latin noun Alumnus (foster son, pupil) which is derived from the Latin verb Alere (to nourish).  In the ancient Roman legal system Alumnus was used to describe a child placed under the care of foster parents, wherein the child might be showered with love, simply treated as a servant or both.  Noted Yale alumni John Boswell held that in even earlier ancient times it referred to ‘exposed children’ taken in by foster parents; think Moses, Paris, Oedipus or Romulus & Remus.  These days and according to Merriam-Webster we get one commonly used definition and one perhaps not so common: Alumnus 1: a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university. 2: a person who is a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate. The first definition is familiar to me, but not the second. I also didn’t know of the word’s etymology until d...

Dawn R. Wells Future Alumni Essay Contest - Runner-up After being a stay at home mom for nearly two decades, I realized that my job as mom would eventually come to a close and I wanted to start something new. I was comfortable being in the shadows of my husband's accomplishments; therefore, I assumed I would get a part time job and do some volunteer work. Behind the safe thoughts of an entry level job, was a gnawing desire to get a degree and have a career that could support me if something happened to my husband. I was not sure of what I wanted to do as a career or where to start. I did not know much about Trident Technical College; I assumed it was for people that did not want a four-year degree. I applied at College of Charleston and was denied based on poor academic performance at a college twenty-five years prior. I applied to Trident with the idea that I would prove myself worthy of College of Charleston. When I registered, I was told to declare a major. At that time,...

Jessie L. Cox Future Alumni Essay Contest - 2016 Runner-up Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” As a self-proclaimed dreamer and a firm believer that education is the light in the dark our world needs, I had planned to attend college ever since I can remember. My yearning to continue my education did not come from any sense of obligation nor from lectures by my parents, but by way of my everlasting love affair with knowledge. I have always been somewhat of a philomath. Having had a love of learning from a very young age, my family often speaks of my undying curiosity. I had always known that high school would not be the end of my journey with education. However, my big plans hit a massive bump. The harsh reality of paying to continue my education was a hard a pill to swallow. Sure, I knew college would not be free, but I had no idea just how costly it would turn out to be. At a time when I was sure I would have to abandon my ...

Brandon Murray Future Alumni Essay Contest - Runner-up When you think of salvation, you think of a church. A place where you go to religiously and perpetually. Whatever the reason one thing is a usually a given, it is a place of faith and worship. In my roller coaster adventure of life, it is ironic how one place I wrote off as “just a tech school” has become so critical and invaluable to me. I sit in the law lab on the second floor of the library every day before class. Every couple of hours I look outside the large square window and at that moment I am injected with peace, desire, passion and complete happiness. It is in this vast room stacked with books that I have found my sanctuary of salvation. To start my journey in college, I was enrolled at the University of South Carolina for three semesters. While studying computer information systems the plot that was my life took a major nose dive in August of 2014. My grandmother and guardian angel was diagnosed with stage...

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 ...

Just a few short years ago, I found myself in the position of having to choose between feeding my family and paying the electric bill. No parent should ever have to make that choice. I was working two dead-end jobs and still living in poverty when I realized that work experience wasn’t all employers were looking for and that I needed at least a 2-year degree. I knew I had to make a change, but I didn’t think I had any options. Then I saw a television commercial about Trident TechnicalCollege and I knew it was where I needed to be. I learned that tuition at TTC is less than half of most other colleges and that with financial aid and lottery assistance, I would have to pay very little out of pocket. I would be graduating from college debt-free! Attending Trident Tech was the smartest decision I ever made. It changed my life in ways that I never thought were possible. I met people who genuinely cared about my success, and the encouragement and motivation from my instruc...

Mary Thornley leads the official groundbreaking with (from left) North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, Charleston County Council Chairman Elliott Summey, state Rep. James Merrill, state Sen. Larry Grooms, InterTech Group CEO Anita Zucker and TTC Area Commission Chariman Rudd Smith.  Trident Tech celebrated the beginning of a new era in advanced manufacturing Nov. 4, breaking ground for the S.C. Aeronautical Training Center, which will be built on 25 acres of undeveloped land on Main Campus. Funding for the $80 million, 224,000-square-foot facility came from multiple sources -- the state, Charleston County, the City of North Charleston, federal grants, private donations and college resources. The new building will house the college’s Aeronautical Studies programs, readySC training for Boeing South Carolina, and other readySC advanced manufacturing training. It will also provide classroom and lab space for the college’s advanced manufacturing continuing education program...