Change Starts Here

As the 11th of 14 children, Kathy Simmons knows what it’s like to be a part of a close-knit family. Which is exactly why she has made her way back to Trident Technical College 33 years after graduating in 1985. Kathy’s path back to TTC began with her desire to fulfill two goals – advance her education and travel – and she figured the best way to accomplish both was through the military. So Kathy joined the Air Force in 1987, and did indeed accomplish both goals. She received her Bachelor of Arts while stationed in Minot, North Dakota, her Master of Arts from Erskine Theological Seminary and she has completed 60 hours toward a Doctor of Education from Walden University. She saw much of the country and spent time overseas in Korea. After the military, Kathy found herself back at TTC in the Admissions and Registrar’s office, and it was there she realized she really wanted to stay in education and help students find success. But a wise mentor once told her that in order to advance...

Andrea K. Davis Future Alumni Essay Contest - Runner-up Have you ever had to change the world’s smelliest diaper right in the middle of an exam for an online class? Well that honor has been bestowed upon me a few times during my time at TTC, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. While motherhood has its own unique challenges, attaining my degree has been a milestone I’ve been actively pursuing since relocating to Charleston. TTC has not only been a financially SMART investment, but has also given me the ability to connect with others in my community. The quest to my success has not been one of comfort. Being a college student requires your undivided attention. When you’re taking multiple classes, it is not uncommon for deadlines to sneak up on you. Although working ahead in classes where I am able has been somewhat of a lifesaver, unfortunately that option isn’t available for all of my classes, so I have to do my best to stay on top of each assignment. The real challenge of t...

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...