Change Starts Here

Meagan Hayes made the decision to go back to school after a string of bad days at her waitressing job. It was the off-season, business was slow, tips were bad and she was picking up evening and overnight shifts just to make ends meet. This meant she could not be home with her 4-year old son to make him dinner, bathe him, read to him and tuck him in. “I just decided I had had enough. I didn’t want to raise my son the way I was raised: with a mom who was working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads and barely home,” she says. Going back to college was always a dream for Meagan, but the thought of it was overwhelming. As an addict four years into recovery and a single, working mom, her days were challenging enough. Trying to find a way to pay for school, jumping through hoops to get enrolled, changing her work schedule to attend classes was daunting and scary. But she was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was and a few days later, after buying her books, wearing her diner uni...

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. ...

Skip Godow  Skip Godow spent much of his career in higher education encouraging others to never be satisfied with the current state of affairs, no matter how good it is. "Good is the enemy of great and we should always be striving for great," says Skip. "That takes creativity, imagination and innovation." This is why he started the SKIPs (Strategy + Knowledge = Innovation Prize) at Trident Technical College in 2013. He wanted to help create a culture of innovation by rewarding those that make exceptional contributions in order to transform the student experience or improve on the administrative process. When Skip was the VP of Continuing Education at TTC, there was an "Innovator of the Month" award, which empowered employees to look at innovation as part of their jobs. "It was amazing to see how many people in the division came up with (and implemented) new ideas," he says. "Instead of thinking that we had to do things the w...

Marie Arnaud, right, of the Charleston chapter of the French Alliance, congratulates Eleis Lester on her selection for the horticultural internship in Paris. Eleis Lester, a horticulture student at Trident Technical College , has been selected for a gardening internship this summer in Paris at the Garden of Bagatelle, an 18th-century landscaped park and chateau. Eleis is the fourth TTC student to participate in the internship sponsored by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens and the F rench Heritage Society in Paris. The local program, established in 2011, also receives support from the Alliance Française de Charleston . She said Magnolia and the Alliance Française “together have created one of the most unique learning experience in our region, and I am delighted to represent Charleston in France this summer. The best learning happens in new places with new people. I can’t wait!” Eleis earned a double degree in the history of mathematics and science and ancient Greek and Fre...

As Belinda Sherman stood alongside her Culinary Institute of Charleston classmates and took her bows at Trident Technical College’s annual fundraising gala  A Night in the Valley , it hit her that she was finally doing something she felt good about.  " I think it was the culmination of so many changes in my life and so many new emotions,” says Belinda. “I almost had to pinch myself to believe that I was living in this beautiful, amazing moment." Belinda is a mother of three, two of which are in college as well – one at USC, Aiken Campus and the other right here with her at TridentTechnical College in the pre-nursing program. As a first-generation college student, this makes her extremely proud. "I was determined to raise my kids to believe they can accomplish anything and they were most definitely going to be something. Unfortunately, I was not encouraged and was told that I would never amount to anything. " But it's even worse than that. Bel...

Veronica Rohtert Future Alumni Essay Contest Trident Technical College best educates individuals by offering a warm atmosphere to develop their skills by a caring and knowledgeable staff of professionals.  The college offers every possible option to serve all individual needs in obtaining their educational dreams. Trident Technical College's concern is to help you receive your education, improve yourself, educate yourself to be part of the community and help you to become the best you can be. The faculty will hold you accountable and guide you to success. TTC has a staff that is available to guide you across every hurdle and get you to the finish line. The advantages of choosing Trident Technical College are affordability, a multitude of career programs, personal attention, evening and online classes.  TTC has it all from degrees to diplomas to certificates to continuing education.  It does not stop there. Trident Technical College will prepare you for transferri...

Kellie Sturnam 2017 Future Alumni Essay Contest  Making my decision to enroll at Trident Technical College was an easy one. As a mother of three children, who did not yet have any pre-requisites, I would be starting from square one. Trident has a reputation for catering to the adult student in that respect. What most people do not know is that TTC caters to all students in that respect. TTC has made higher education possible by establishing a framework around the everyday lives of everyday people. From recent graduates who are uncertain about their next steps, to recent grads who want the prestige of a 4-year school (without the 4-year price-tag). From stay-at-home-moms, to returning vets. You name it! There is not a single area that TTC has not covered. And if you think you can't pay for it, think again. If you think you're too old…also not true. I have sat in class between a high schooler and an 84-year old woman. Yes, I said 84. The best part about the departments th...