News Releases @ TCC

TCC GOES NATIONAL - STUDENT NAMED TO ALL-USA ACADEMIC TEAM AND WINS PRESTIGIOUS KENT COOKE SCHOLARSHIP

And 7 TCC students garner spots on All-Virginia Team

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – (April 20, 2005) – Jessica Watson, the first Tidewater Community College student to be named to the All-USA Academic Team for Community Colleges in over five years, can’t be reached easily for comment. She’s in Morocco, immersed in the native culture - part of an overseas commitment to her National Security Education Program (NSEP) scholarship and to her focus on a career in government service.

On top of the All-USA team placement and the NSEP program, Watson just won a prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, one of only 25 community college students in the nation to win. The new award will give her up to $30,000 a year towards her baccalaureate study, which she hopes will be at William & Mary.

One of 1,500 All-USA nominees nationwide, Watson, at 26, has an extensive resume citing a myriad of campus and community activities. All of which demonstrates her determination to connect with - and improve - the world around her. Via e-mail from Morocco, Watson says, “Since attending TCC my primary focus has been on creating a solid foundation for my future. I have spent the majority of my time studying and volunteering. This choice has not been easy; I have had to sacrifice much of my social life and higher paying jobs to fully commit myself to education.”

A former United States Marine, Watson won the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, a Commanding General’s Award for Exceptional Dedication and other honors. Now, she’s driven to serve her country in a different post - inside the executive branch. Her goals of government policy work grow nearer to success with her NSEP scholarship, her upcoming associate degree followed by transfer into a baccalaureate program and law school and, now, with her winning a place on USA Today’s community college team.

“I am extremely pleased to be part of the All-USA Academic Team. I discovered that TCC is willing to put forth a tremendous amount of support for those who seek success,” notes Watson, a Virginia Beach resident. “I believe that this title will assist me in all future endeavors.”

Watson, among a select group of 60 students chosen for the national team, placed on the third team. The national and state program - sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa (the national honor society for community colleges), American Association of Community Colleges and USA Today - celebrates students for their academic achievements, campus leadership and community service.

Additionally, Watson holds a spot, one of 10, on the First Virginia Team, the state level of the competition. A total of 47 others, including six from TCC, earned a place on the second team of the All-Virginia Team. The TCC second-team winners are Roddena Kirksey, Gerald Ortiz, Lorraine Perez, Valerie Spoolman, Nigel Tierney and Jeffrey Watson, Jessica’s husband, who graduated from TCC last December.