From unemployed to employer

Terrell Flowers couldn’t find a job after high school. He filled out dozens of applications and never got a call back.

So at the age of 20, he decided to go into business for himself.

After spending summers working alongside his grandfather in landscaping, Flowers asked for seven properties to manage, so he could go it alone.

Once he was working on his own, FGS Landscaping began to grow and Flowers found he needed more knowledge to handle the business side of things.

He enrolled in Tidewater Community College’s business administration transfer degree, while taking electives in small business management.

Starting small, thinking big

Photo of students in a small business management class. — Professor Gillerlain with business students on the Chesapeake Campus.

The Career Studies Certificate in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship includes classes in Accounting for Small Businesses, Principles of Supervision, Small Business Management, Marketing for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

“This specialization is important for people who want to start a business or currently run a small business,” said Kelly Gillerlain, professor of business administration at the Chesapeake Campus.

“The degree allows students to focus on small business practices and principles and was actually created by faculty across the college because of student interest and requests for these types of classes,” she said.

A flourishing business

It didn’t take long for Flowers to grow his business to 47 properties, 44 residential and three commercial. He now employs three people and offers additional services, including mulching, tree and shrub care, tree trimming, yard renovations and flower installation.

Flowers said the targeted classes in small business topics helped him streamline processes and run an efficient business.

“Accounting was the biggest help. I started keeping track of expenses and saving money,” Flowers said. “My business classes showed me the best way to structure my business and even changed how I was paying my employees from by-the-job to hourly, a best practice.”

The best part

“Aside from book knowledge, I’ve made some great contacts and friends at TCC who have helped me on this journey,” Flowers said.

Flowers credits his professors with challenging him to think outside the box. His favorite professor was Karen Pryor, now retired, who taught English.

“I learned how to write in her classes. She believed in me, and I knew if I could pass her class, then I could get through college,” Flowers said.

While it’s taken some time, Flowers is just five classes shy from earning his associate degree.

The Oscar Smith High graduate is the first male in his family to go to college. He’s following in his grandmother’s and mother’s footsteps, as both earned college degrees.

“I see this business as something I can pass on to my son,” Flowers said. “I love waking up every morning and enjoying what I’m doing. There’s nothing better.”

Contact info

For more information about the Career Studies Certificate in Small Business Management, contact Gillerlain at kgillerlain@tcc.edu.

Ernest T. “Bo” Buchanan Scholarship awards money to deserving students

Ernest Trezevant “Bo” Buchanan IV was just two months shy of graduating from the University of Virginia (UVA) when he died in a car accident.

Bo’s father, Joe, was provost of Tidewater Community College’s Virginia Beach Campus at the time and had been a dean for 21 years before that.

Faculty and staff on that campus banded together to honor Bo with a scholarship in his name. The Ernest T. Bo Buchanan IV Memorial Scholarship recognize young men demonstrate exceptional leadership and service while maintaining a commitment to academic excellence.

Nimpare Nantob Bikatui and Kevin Fraser are the most recent recipients of the scholarship. Bikatui is earning his Associate of Science in Engineering; Fraser is working toward his Associate of Science in Business Administration.

Buchanan graduated from Cox High School in 2000 after serving as student government president and captain of the volleyball team. The Eagle Scout was recognized as an outstanding male student-leader-athlete in his class.

Buchanan received a full Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship to continue his education at Virginia to work toward a history degree and his dream of joining the Navy.

By 2004, he had worked his way up to the UVA NROTC Battalion Commanding Officer. He lost his life just shy of his 21^st birthday.

Maj. Fritz Pfeiffer, UVA NROTC MOI called Bo “a superb leader.”

“He was well liked not only by his peers but by the other active duty officers here as well. He was an example to us all.”

David Wattenmaker, an NROTC Marine, said, “Everyone who knew Bo learned something from him. He set an example that people could learn from.”

Joe Buchanan donated more than $10,000 to his son’s scholarship fund in honor of his wife, and Bo’s mother, Susan, an award-winning English and journalism teacher and department chair. Joe was president of the National Association of Student Personnel and received national, regional and state leadership awards for his service. Susan leads the women’s ministry of her church and serves as president of a local chapter of Philanthropic Educational Organization, a philanthropic sorority that supports female students in higher education.

An international student pursues a future in engineering

When Bikatui came to the United States from Togo in West Africa, he didn’t know English. His first language was French.

“Before I started my engineering courses, my fellow country people were telling me that English was too hard,” said Bikatui. “They said ‘The material is in English. The instruction is in English. The language is English. You’re going to have trouble!’ But I didn’t see it that way. I didn’t want to be underestimated because I speak another language.”

As an international student at TCC, he found a common language in mathematics – and one-on-one support from his professors encouraged him to keep going.

“Chemistry is the same. Math is the same. Once you know them, you can find your way to science,” Bikatui said. “My TCC professors have always appreciated me. One of my teachers comes in every Sunday for students like me who want help with the material. I spend my Sundays over there with her.”

Winning the Ernest T. Bo Buchanan IV Memorial Scholarship encouraged Bikatui – who used the money to help cover his expensive engineering textbooks and tuition.

Bikatui will graduate next spring with his engineering degree and transfer to Old Dominion University to pursue a bachelor’s in chemical or biomedical engineering.

A local small business owner finds his passion

Fraser was a father of three with a full-time teaching job when he enrolled in TCC’s business administration program.

A Navy veteran with eight years of service, Fraser had always dabbled in areas, such as corporate taxes and accounts payable with his small businesses. He knew he needed a formal education in the field to grow his companies and follow his dream of working in accounting.

TCC was a smart financial choice for the money-conscious entrepreneur, who already had a daughter in college and a career when he came back to school.

“The first time I went to college, I had access to the GI Bill,” said Fraser, “so that degree was paid for. But this second degree – I was on my own. I knew I would be paying out-of-pocket. Once you go two semesters on student loans the money starts piling up.”

Scholarships didn’t even occur to Fraser as a possibility until he got on his daughter about applying for her own scholarships her junior year at Liberty University. “I’m on the phone encouraging her to look for scholarships, when the light dawned and I realized I should be looking for my own scholarships!” he said.

A quick web search led him to TCC’s scholarship page, where he realized he could qualify for awards through the school. He won the Coca-Cola Enterprises Scholarship and was shocked when the award amount of $500 hit his student account.

“I had no idea how large these awards are,” Fraser said.

When he won the Ernest T. Bo Buchanan IV Memorial Scholarship, Fraser realized his final semester would be paid for in full. “My scholarship awards were almost to the penny perfect. I had $80 leftover, which I used to buy a book. To know my entire last semester was paid… it was such a blessing.”

Fraser is currently enrolled in a master’s program in taxation accounting at Liberty University. His favorite part of running his businesses is being able to give jobs to people looking for flexible work – and employing his ex-students.

A legacy of giving

In addition to the TCC scholarships, the Buchanan family also offers scholarships in Bo’s honor at the University of Virginia and Cox High School.

For more information about available scholarships at TCC, visit www.tcc.edu/scholarships. To learn more about establishing a scholarship at TCC, contact the TCC Educational Foundation at foundation@tcc.edu or 757-822-1080.

2018 Women’s Leadership Breakfast highlights student leaders

Shorntail Goodrich never thought of herself as a leader.

Now the Tidewater Community College graduate works with Hearts Full of Grace, a nonprofit organization providing support for those coping with food and housing instability. She plans to open an extended-stay center to help clients get back on their feet.

Shorntail Goodrich (left) with mentor and faculty member Jennifer Dixon-McKnight. — Shorntail Goodrich (right) with mentor and faculty member Jennifer Dixon-McKnight.

Goodrich, 42, was recognized with the 2017 Mary Pat Liggio Student Leadership Award at TCC’s 16^th Annual Women’s Leadership Breakfast on May 8 at the Chesapeake Campus. The award is named for the founding coordinator of the Women’s Center.

Goodrich, who earned an Associate of Science in Business Administration at TCC’s spring commencement exercises, holds a 3.4 GPA.

“I never thought I’d be in leadership roles at TCC or have a high GPA, but I do,” Goodrich said. “With my TCC support team, I’ve been able to accomplish more than I could ever imagine.”

Goodrich served as vice president and president of Alliance of Excellence, an empowerment and community service club on the Norfolk Campus. In her first year, she organized an anti-bullying campaign and was recognized as “Student Leader of the Year.”

Goodrich also planned a human trafficking symposium to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.

“I’m honored by this award and encourage others to be the light where they are,” she said. “It’s our job to adjust our sister’s crown when she is down.

Mary Cullen, vice president of nuclear propulsion, Newport News Shipbuilding, was the keynote speaker for the event.

Cullen chronicled her growth at the shipyard over the last three decades. She started as an environmental engineer and continued to move upward holding positions with increased responsibility.

“Great leaders always put others first,” she said. “For me, I learn something personal about those who work with me. I encourage those relationships because that’s what brings out ideas and builds a team.”

President Edna Baehre-Kolovani encouraged guests to continue supporting the Women’s Center’s mission of educating, empowering and engaging women.

She touted TCC’s STEM Promise scholarship program, designed to boost the number of women and minorities in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. The program, in its second year, awards two-year, full-tuition scholarships to selected applicants.

“We are grateful to the many donors who have stepped forward to support this program and the other direct services provided by our Women’s Center, President Kolovani said.

Students in Women Inspiring Self-Empowerment Leadership Development program were also recognized for their leadership roles and civic engagement through service projects.

Dominion Energy was the presenting sponsor of the breakfast.

Additional sponsors included Pender & Coward: Attorneys and Counselors at Law; TowneBank; Dollar Tree; Prevailance, Inc.; The Ascendancy Group; Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management; WTS Hampton Roads Chapter; and WillowOaks Consulting.

TCC graduate found her passion to serve while in college

Shorntail Goodrich came to Tidewater Community College to retrain for a new career. She spent her 20s and 30s working as an apartment complex manager and later as an identification clerk for Norfolk Police Department.

“With no degree, I was stuck in low-paying jobs,” she said. “You can have a great work ethic and think you will be moving up. But all I saw was more responsibility, and no more pay.”

Today Goodrich is an administrative assistant for the Norfolk Community Services Board and plans to start her own nonprofit.

Goodrich, 42, came to TCC to prepare for a career in management. On May 12, she will walk the stage at the Ted Constant Convocation Center to receive her Associate of Science in Business Administration.

Shorntail Goodrich accepts her leadership award from Linda Berardi, chair of the Women's Center Advisory Council. — Shorntail Goodrich accepts her leadership award from Linda Berardi, chair of the Women’s Center Advisory Council.

She found her passion working with Hearts Full of Grace, a nonprofit organization providing support for individuals and families coping with food and housing instability.

Aside from providing meals and clothing for those experiencing homelessness, the group hosts empowerment workshops for individuals in transition, and gives toiletry bags to those in need.

“My original thought was go to TCC and further my education and then get a job in a big corporation or bank,” she said.

Encouragement from Emanuel Chestnut, dean of students on the Norfolk Campus, and Jennifer Dixon-McKnight, professor of history, led her to re-examine her direction.

“I really have a heart to serve,” Goodrich said. “I see myself opening my own nonprofit, an extended-stay center to help clients get back on their feet. I see it as a road back home for those facing homelessness, where they can learn basic life skills and gain job training to become self-sufficient again.”

While at TCC, Goodrich served as vice president and president of Alliance of Excellence (AOE), an empowerment and community service club on the Norfolk Campus. In her first year, she organized an anti-bullying campaign and earned “Student Leader of the Year.”

Goodrich also planned a human trafficking symposium to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.

Alliance of Excellence human trafficking panel members included Adriana Mirarchi, special agent, Homeland Security Investigations; Courtney Pierce, Samaritan House, human trafficking grant coordinator; Ebony Velazquez, Attorney General’s office of human trafficking, task force coordinator; Shorntail Goodrich, TCC student; Krista Fulton, Norfolk deputy commonwealth's attorney state prosecutor; and Rebecca Stone, Norfolk Police Department, task force officer. — AOE human trafficking panel members included Adriana Mirarchi, Homeland Security Investigations; Courtney Pierce, Samaritan House; Ebony Velazquez, Attorney General’s office of human trafficking; Shorntail Goodrich, TCC student; Krista Fulton, Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney’s office; and Rebecca Stone, Norfolk Police Department.

She also served as vice president of the Student Government Association and was the 2018 Mary Pat Liggio Student Leadership Award recipient, named for the founding coordinator of the Women’s Center.

Goodrich was also honored with an Exemplar Award by the Hampton Roads Gazette for going above and beyond in serving her neighbors.

“Shorntail is a person who rises to the task time and time again with grace and humility. I’m inspired by all that she has accomplished here at Tidewater Community College,” said Dixon-McKnight, also a faculty advisor for AOE.

Goodrich tried college right after high school with little success. “I was older and wiser this time,” she said with a laugh. “This time I found TCC to be like a village with people checking up on me, investing in my success.”

Goodrich credits her husband, Dante, with “being her rock.”

“It was really hard to go back to school after 23 years. I had to take a step of faith and really trust God with my future,” she said. “My husband encouraged me and told me that I would have a job before graduation. And I do!”

“If I can do it, anyone can do it. Just take advantage of every resource TCC has to offer and see what you can do.”