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She went to a Women’s Center STEM presentation and found her future
Alla Topp is a STEM Promise Program success story even though she opted not to complete her associate degree at Tidewater Community College.
“I would never be where I am without TCC,” said Topp, who just started an online master’s program in data science at Regis University in Colorado.
Topp liked the coding part of the program and particularly enjoyed classes under Professor Scott Davis. But something intrigued her even more after she attended “Women in Computer Programming,” a presentation sponsored by the Women’s Center in the Virginia Beach Student Center. Listening to keynote speaker Corren McCoy, vice president of software engineering and chief data strategist for a Norfolk consulting company, Topp wanted to know more. After talking with McCoy afterward, she envisioned herself making a career in data science.
Topp had already earned a bachelor’s prior to admission to TCC; she studied human resources management at Russian State University in her native Moscow.
“I decided I wanted to do something technical and with math, not human resources, which is people,” she said. “Translating data to make sense of it for companies appeals to me.”
Coupled with the relevant coursework Topp had completed already at TCC, she was a good fit to directly enter a master’s program. Meeting with a TCC academic advisor confirmed that. “Everyone was really helpful and selfless about it at TCC, encouraging me to do what was best for me,” Topp said.
“I would have never found this chance without the STEM Promise program.”
ASHRAE’s hot scholarship helps HVAC/R students land a cool degree
In 2010, the Hampton Roads Chapter of ASHRAE announced the creation of a unique, chapter-specific scholarship: the Daniel C. Pettway Scholarship at Tidewater Community College.
Daniel C. Pettway started his career in HVAC/R as a youngster by helping his neighbor assemble catalogs. His passion for the field led to decades-long involvement with ASHRAE while his career advanced through the heating and air conditioning industry in both the residential and commercial marketplaces.
A TCC alum, Pettway transferred to Old Dominion University with his Associate of Science in General Studies, but was never able to obtain his bachelor’s due to financial constraints.
He returned to TCC later as an adult learner to set a good example for his son, Daniel C. Pettway II, when he realized “just how important a college degree is” for job advancement.
The Daniel C. Pettway Scholarship at TCC recognizes Pettway’s long-standing commitment and contributions to ASHRAE at the local, regional and national levels. The award also strives to “serve humanity and promote a sustainable world” by helping to train students for careers focused on energy efficiency, air quality and industry sustainability.
RJ Hartman, the outgoing 2017 ASHRAE Hampton Roads Chapter President and LEED Green Associate Mechanical Engineer at Clark Nexsen, calls the scholarship a well-deserved honor for Pettway and an important part of ASHRAE’s mission.
“To say that Dan is involved is an understatement. Since the ’80s, he’s been working with the local chapter, at the regional level as director at large and has even served as vice president of the ASHRAE Society. He’s a huge supporter of our initiatives regarding research promotion and energy.”
The scholarship also has a personal meaning to Hartman, who was a recipient of an ASHRAE scholarship award when he was pursuing his mechanical engineering degree at ODU.
“There are tons of metrics people are using now to understand how to get to a ‘green’ construction,” said Hartman. “Insulation, window performance, HVAC systems, locally sourced materials, reusing construction materials. . . . Everyone wants to be in a 75-degree building in 100-degree weather, and we want you to be comfortable too – with the lowest environmental impact possible.”
Adam Forshey, Treasurer, Hampton Roads ASHRAE Chapter, and Ramon Veal, 2017 scholarship recipient.
Ramon Veal, this year’s award recipient, is a mechanical engineering technology student with a blueprint for success and a passion for evolving technology.
A talented musician on the clarinet and drums, Veal originally came to TCC to study music, but after experimenting with engineering classes, he fell in love with the subject: “I still love music, but I’ve definitely found a passion for engineering here.”
Veal enjoys the opportunities available to learn beyond the classroom – and recently placed fourth with his classmates in the American Society for Engineering Education Two-Year College Division Model Design Competition in Salt Lake City.
“The scholarship has made a difference,” Veal said.
“This funding has helped fill the gaps from my grant money and allowed me to buy my supplies and books,” he said. “It’s been a boost for my self-esteem. Knowing someone notices that I’m doing something good and wants to help me go even further? That’s cool!”
Veal will finish his associate degree next year and hopes to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University to pursue a bachelor’s.
“I want to enjoy what I do for a living,” Veal said. “TCC is preparing me for a career that will allow me to do just that.”
For Hartman and local ASHRAE members, the outcome couldn’t be better; “We want to educate our young people to be more responsible to the Earth,” he said. “But, ultimately, our goal is to continue the legacy of our chapter by creating more engineers who can better serve our community.”
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.
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 21st 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.”
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 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.
TCC announces class of 19 for its second STEM Promise Program scholarship
Sumner Darling mapped out the entire Earth in elementary school. Jena Essary taught herself coding shortly after her 10th birthday. Breiten Liebell constructed a fully functional replica of a Ferris Wheel by memory as a 5-year-old.
The high school students are among Tidewater Community College’s second class of STEM Promise Program scholars. Nineteen students will pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related disciplines at TCC and complete two-year associate degrees at no cost for tuition and fees under the Women’s Center STEM Promise Program.
“Through the generosity of our donors, the Women’s Center STEM Promise Program is contributing to the diversity of the Hampton Roads workforce by creating a pipeline of women and minority students into the STEM disciplines,” said Jeanne Natali, director of TCC’s Intercultural Learning Center. “Our STEM Promise scholars will get a solid academic foundation at TCC, graduate with no student debt and be set to transfer to any number of public or private universities.”
In addition to TCC’s smaller class sizes and interaction with professors invested in student success, STEM scholars receive specialized support from dedicated advisors and mentoring and career exploration from the Women’s Center.
TCC’s 2018 Women’s Center STEM Promise Scholars and their programs are:
Associate of Science in Engineering
Taylor Bowers, Chesapeake
Emma DeLosReyes, Virginia Beach
Erin Fitzpatrick, Virginia Beach
Zachary Fuge, Virginia Beach
Christian McClenney, Virginia Beach
Matthew Rathbun, Zuni
Deven Singleton, Chesapeake
Isaac Vanderley, Virginia Beach
Associate of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology
Kalen Anderson, Portsmouth
Breiten Liebell, Virginia Beach
Associate of Science in Science with a Specialization in Computer Science
Courtney Carr, Virginia Beach
Rhys Dailey, Virginia Beach
Jena Essary, Chesapeake
Caroline Jacobs, Chesapeake
Maurice Price, Chesapeake
Associate of Applied Science in Information Systems Technology
Kiana Brown, Chesapeake
Sumner Darling, Virginia Beach
Seth Greiling, Chesapeake
Shannon O’Hara Wiora, Virginia Beach
Anyone with an interest in applying to TCC’s STEM Promise Program should contact theEnrollment Team at 757-822-1111. Interested donors can contact the TCC Educational Foundation at foundation@tcc.edu.
A celebration of multiple firsts and a memorial for a special grad part of TCC’s spring commencement
During a Saturday afternoon of milestones and remembrances, Tidewater Community College celebrated the spring class of 2018 at its 66th Commencement Exercises.
In addition to more than 700 graduates walking in the ceremony at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, TCC President Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani recognized the following milestones:
Four graduates, Brandi Porter, Gabrielle Hutchings, Jaylyn Richard and Jay Sellers, received the Governor’s Medallion, given to four teenagers who completed associate degrees while still in high school.
Alexis Spangler and Xiaomin Chen, are the inaugural students to graduate through the Women’s Center’s STEM Promise Program, which provides full scholarships to students pursuing STEM degrees at TCC. Each earned an Associate of Science of Engineering.
Student speaker Tony Sawyer and President Kolovani at Commencement.
Keynote speaker Cheryl Turpin, an educator elected last fall to Virginia’s House of Delegates, encouraged the students to keep learning regardless of age.
“No matter your age, I see nothing but young minds when I look out to this crowd,” said the longtime science teacher.
Turpin’s journey has taken her from science teacher at Cox High School to the cover of Time magazine the week after she was elected to the House of Delegates. “If you follow your passions, you can achieve what you dream,” she said.
Student speaker Tony Sawyer, previously a high school dropout, talked about finding the desire to succeed at TCC thanks to the support he received. He graduated with an Associate of Science in Social Sciences.
“Education required a lot of sacrifices, but the lessons learned have been worth it,” said Sawyer, on the President’s List every semester at TCC and bound for Old Dominion University. “Today’s success is not an ending point. Let us apply the knowledge we’ve learned to make a difference.
Jordan McNair’s classmates at Commencement.
“As a former 16-year-old dropout, who is now a 49-year-old TCC graduate and attending the ODU honors college in the fall, I currently experience a new freedom from this education I no longer thought was possible,” he said.
During the conferring of degrees, Jordan McNair was awarded a posthumous Career Studies Certificate in Automotive Chassis Systems. McNair, a student at TCC’s Regional Automotive Center, died in a car accident last August. He was 20 years old.
Jordan McNair’s parents, (center) Dexter McNair and Paula Borchert, accept his certificate during a standing ovation from classmates.
McNair’s family received an inspiring standing ovation from the graduates. His classmates, who finished restoring his project car, a 2000 Honda Civic, presented his family with his certificate.
Priority Automotive’s Jim Rose, McNair’s employer, also announced a new $12,000 scholarship, the Jordan McNair Memorial Honda PACT Scholarship, sponsored by the dealership. The scholarship will assist second-year TCC students enrolled in the Honda PACT program.
TCC’s alumni base of more than 100,000 continues to grow with the addition of the 1,500 graduates who are part of the class of 2018.
Perseverance pays off for TCC scholarship recipient
Dakota Bernacki always knew he would be paying his own way through college.
So when the time came for him to consider his educational options, Tidewater Community College’s affordability made it the clear choice.
“I didn’t want to wing it and hope I got the financial aid I needed at a four-year school,” Bernacki said. “And I also wasn’t 100 percent sure what I was going to study. I wanted some flexibility in my first year of college to explore my options within the electrical and computer engineering fields before committing to a particular degree track.”
The engineering program’s reputation, hands-on skills training and guaranteed transfer agreements sealed the deal.
Bernacki knew the proceeds from his small business, an on-call tech company that specializes in home networking, tech setup and virus/malware removal, would cover the cost of his textbooks. But he wanted to explore all of his funding options.
In his research, he stumbled across TCC’s scholarship website. He applied for a variety of awards but the system was difficult to navigate. Last year’s upgrades made all the difference.
“The new system recommended a variety of scholarships for me, including quite a few that I would not have known about before,” Bernacki said. That includes the Chesapeake Campus General Scholarship, which he received this year.
The Chesapeake Campus General Scholarship was established through donations from a diverse group of donors. The funds are intended to help high-performing students pursue higher education at TCC. Recipients are selected based on financial need, academic standing and personal qualities.
David Kiracofe, professor of history on the Chesapeake Campus, is a faculty member who has contributed to the Chesapeake Campus General Scholarship fund.
“I donate to scholarships because from my experience at TCC, it’s the point at which students struggle the most. For some of them, one good semester can keep them going – without help, their momentum can just evaporate.”
Kiracofe was a scholarship recipient himself in college – “for mathematics, which is really unsuitable because I’m terrible at math” – and he understands how the rising cost of education can complicate a student’s dreams of a degree.
“Community college students often don’t have the luxury of a four-year student,” he said. “They have responsibilities weighing on them like jobs, family obligations and personal issues. My hope is that scholarships like this one can help them complete their educations.”
For Bernacki, the scholarship has helped relieve the financial pressure of student loan debt.
“Knowing I don’t have to repay my scholarship money means one less thing for me to worry about,” he said. “When less debt hangs over your head, it becomes quite a bit easier to focus on learning new things. Paying less out of pocket also gives me more flexibility to transfer immediately to a four-year school instead of taking a few years to work full time and save up.”
Bernacki will finish his Associate of Science in Engineering this fall and hopes to transfer to a four-year school after that to pursue a bachelor’s in computer engineering.
“My education is my responsibility,” he said. “This is my future and there are more resources here at TCC to help me succeed than I could’ve known existed.”
For more information about available scholarships at TCC, visit 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.
