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TCC scholarship honors former President Kolovani
The Tidewater Community College Educational Foundation announced that an endowed scholarship has been established in the name of President Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani, who retired from the college on June 30.
The college-wide scholarship was funded through gifts from the TCC College Board, the boards of the Educational Foundation and Real Estate Foundation, and college leadership.
President Kolovani received the surprise announcement on June 28 at the annual Joint Board Reception, which honors outgoing board members and incoming chairs. She also was presented with a joint board resolution recognizing her six years of service to the college.
She has requested that the endowment go toward any need-based scholarship request “so that the fund can have the greatest impact on our students.”
Donations are still being accepted for the scholarship at advancement.tcc.edu/donate. For more information, contact Alexandra Rice at 757-822-1647 or arice@tcc.edu.
An Enduring Love: Donors embrace love and honor the past after loss
When Doug and Pat Barner finished raising their blended family, they followed their hearts to Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. They built a house just blocks away from the water and settled into retirement and beach living.
Doug quickly took to the neighborhood, especially the civic league and the neighborhood watch. Early mornings found him walking the beach, chatting with neighbors and keeping an eye on things. When Doug died unexpectedly there was a big empty space in the heart of Chic’s Beach.
Before his death, Doug had revived his interest in art and began to paint in earnest. His beach landscapes were filled with light and movement. He had arranged to exhibit his new work at Alexander’s on the Bay restaurant, so after his death Pat decided to go ahead with the show.
She endowed the Doug Barner Fine Arts Scholarship at Tidewater Community College with the proceeds of his artwork. The award supports a student pursuing painting, drawing or photography at the Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.
A few years later, Bob Randolph was grieving the death of his wife Joanne when he and Pat reconnected.
The Barners had gone to the same church as the Randolphs for over 40 years.
With children the same age and overlapping social circles, the families were already close. And now, Pat and Bob were joined in an unexpected way – through grief.
Bob Randolph and Pat Barner in Croatia
Over the next weeks and months, Pat helped Bob through the grieving process and, in turn, he helped her realize that she had come a long way since her husband’s death.
Their feelings for one another grew and took on new shape. They fell in love and got married.
Bob was moved to establish a scholarship in his late wife’s name, as Pat had for Doug.
Joanne was a longtime resident of Norfolk and a retired registered nurse who worked in the Peace Corps before a decades-long career at DePaul Medical Center.
“I thought a scholarship was a terrific idea,” Bob said, “but both of Joanne’s alma maters had closed. I knew that TCC offered a nursing program, so I reached out.”
He established the Joanne Randolph Nursing Scholarship, which supports a high-performing nursing student pursuing a career in the field.
The 2018 recipient of the Joanne Randolph Nursing Scholarship, Nicole Merritt-Croft is a proud future nurse. As a Navy veteran, mother of three, and full-time nursing student, the scholarship money made a big difference to her family while she was in school.
“My daughter was also taking classes at TCC while I was enrolled and my husband was deployed on active duty,” said Merritt-Croft. “While we were all studying – all the money mattered, down to the very last penny. I’m so appreciative of this scholarship; it allowed me to buy my nursing supplies and textbooks. It was one less thing to worry about!”
A former hospital corpsman in the Navy, Merritt-Croft graduated in May and has been studying for the National Council Licensure Examination with hopes of landing in a labor and delivery unit. Like Joanne, she has a passion for medicine and helping others.
“I had been trying to get back to school for a long time before starting at TCC,” she said. “When we got stationed here four years ago all my kids were old enough that I could do it without having a nervous breakdown. There was nothing stopping me – and I went for it!”
“TCC was a great value for the cost,” Merrit-Croft said. “I learned a ton – so much. And thanks to my amazing teachers, I have no reason to think that I’m not just going to pass my boards with flying colors.”
“We never forget our Joanne and Doug,” said Pat. “We live with them. Bob and I feel they’re always here, together with us, because of the memories. Finding each other has been a beautiful gift.”
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.
Honda PACT student’s memory lives on with completed project car and scholarship fund
His parents, Dexter McNair and Paula Borchert, accepted his certificate following a standing ovation from his classmates.
Jordan McNair’s parents, Dexter McNair and Paula Borchert (center) , accept his certificate during a standing ovation from classmates.
Before his death, McNair and his classmates were working to restore his project car, a 2000 Honda Civic, which was flooded during Hurricane Matthew. The group worked nights and weekends, gaining hands-on skills as they fixed the car.
They started by swapping the engine and turning the car from an automatic transmission to a manual one. From there, they worked on systems including the brakes, air bags, fuel lines, the suspension and some wiring issues related to the flood damage.
“Jordan found his passion when he enrolled at TCC. It was the happiest and most focused I’d ever seen him,” Borchert said. “He and his classmates were full speed ahead working diligently at our home – rain – cold – it didn’t matter. They were determined to get his car going.”
After McNair’s passing, his classmates continued to restore the project car, spending their own time and money to buy parts and complete the project.
“This car represents his evolution – like Jordan it was a diamond in the rough,” said classmate Dominique Martin.
“We decided to finish the car for his family, as a reminder of his life’s passion. It was a little rough to keep going in the beginning, but doing this was a help, too,” added classmate Demetrio Gallegos.
The restored Honda is unveiled to family and friends at the college’s Regional Automotive Center.
“For me working on the car was a learning experience. Jordan and I were teammates, doing the lab work together in class. It felt right for me to be there to help see this project through,” added Damien Rose.
The car looks new with lustrous black paint and orange accents.
Honda PACT instructor David Lee has been part of the project, providing his time and expertise to the work. “This was Jordan’s calling,” he said. “You could really see his focus intensify once he started working at Priority Honda. I’m really proud of how we all came together for this family.”
TCC Collision Repair students also worked on Jordan’s Honda.
Priority Automotive’s announcement of the Jordan McNair Memorial Honda PACT scholarship through the TCC Educational Foundation was a surprise at commencement. The $12,000 scholarship will cover half the cost of tuition for two students in the Honda PACT program for two years.
“Jordan would be doing backflips if he could see the car now,” Borchert said. “Our family will be eternally grateful for the sacrifice and love shown by his classmates and instructors.”
Dexter McNair added, “One of his favorite sayings was ‘run it.’ And I know with this car, he would be saying it’s time; let’s ‘run it.’”
TCC donor’s scholarship plants seeds for student success
Sarah “Tata” White Kellam was 33 when she started selling plants from her greenhouse in a vacant lot on Virginia Beach’s Shore Drive. Her company, Mr. Greenjeans, blossomed into an interior plantscaping business company, selling, servicing and renting plants throughout Hampton Roads.
As her business evolved, Kellam also tended to the growth of her employees. She provided financial support for night school tuition “to help more women move forward in their college educations.”
It was the first of many contributions she would make to give back and help support women in business.
“There’s a saying I love: ‘You don’t know ’til you know,’” Kellam said, “I want to help people who want to know. You need education to get anywhere; that’s what I know!”
In 2017, she established the Sarah “Tata” White Kellam Scholarship at Tidewater Community College to support business and entrepreneurship students with a financial need who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to education.
“I chose TCC because of the older demographic it served,” she said. “I wanted to support an older student, someone who was serious in their studies – who had some direction and interest in business. I was a little older when I started my business, and I wanted to help another woman with dreams.”
This year’s recipient, Dawn Johns, is just that.
A Navy veteran with 10 years of service, Johns was eligible for GI Bill benefits she was hoping to save for her more expensive Old Dominion University coursework.
“I learned about scholarships from Professor Angela Slaughter in my Business 100 class,” said the mother of two. “We were finishing early, so Professor Slaughter started walking us through the scholarship options. I went ahead and applied for 10 scholarships just sitting there in class.”
Johns searched for all the awards she was eligible to receive. “Some of them don’t even require an essay – you’re just completing the form,” she said.
To her surprise, she won several, including the scholarship established by Kellam.
“I take so much pride in being the recipient of a scholarship,” Johns said. “I know the process is competitive. Being selected made me feel honored, and I’ve pushed that much harder to make sure I keep my grades up. Every semester since I received this award, I have been a 4.0 student.”
Johns also credits the award for relieving a lot of financial stress and freeing up more time for her family and academics.
While at the college, her daughter attends TCC’s Child Development Center on the Portsmouth Campus, operated by YWCA South Hampton Roads, tuition her award helps to subsidize. She also applies her scholarship toward textbooks and a meal plan.
She aims to open her own non-profit financial planning service to promote financial literacy and give back to neighborhoods like the one she grew up in.
Johns already offers this financial advice for others at TCC: “I’ve been showing all my friends TCC’s scholarship website and teaching them how to apply. These awards have been an important lesson learned. I want to share these opportunities with as many people as possible.”
As Kellam would say – “You don’t know ‘til you know!”
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.
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.
Landmark Foundation, Elizabeth River Crossings receive Chancellor’s Awards for Leadership in Philanthropy
Pictured, from left: Carol Curtis, TCC Educational Foundation Board; Marian Anderfuren, vice president for Institutional Advancement; TCC President Edna Baehre-Kolovani; Carley Dobson, Elizabeth River Crossings; VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois; Tiffany Whitfield, Elizabeth River Crossings; Frank Batten, Landmark Foundation; LaVerne Ellerbe, executive director, TCC Educational Foundation; Christine Damrose-Mahlmann, associate vice president for Student Affairs; Lynn Clements, TCC College Board; and Donna Henderson, TCC Educational Foundation campaign manager
Two Hampton Roads organizations were honored Tuesday for their support of Tidewater Community College students.
The Landmark Foundation and Elizabeth River Crossings, LLC received Chancellor’s Awards for Leadership in Philanthropy during the 13th annual awards ceremony in Richmond. In attendance were Frank Batten, president and director of the Landmark Foundation, and Tiffany Whitfield and Carley Dobson, representing Elizabeth River Crossings.
More than two dozen individuals, families, businesses and foundations from around Virginia have been honored with the 2018 Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy.
Hosted by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE), the annual event recognizes leading philanthropists from each of Virginia’s 23 community colleges as well as the statewide foundation. This year’s class of distinguished philanthropy leaders has contributed a combined total of $6 million to Virginia’s Community Colleges.
“In 2017, the TCC Educational Foundation launched its innovative TCC Women’s Center STEM Promise Program, and we are pleased to honor two early investors, Elizabeth River Crossings, LLC, and the Landmark Foundation,” said President Edna V. Baehre-Kolovani.
“The goal of the program is to increase the number of women and minority students receiving STEM degrees at TCC. Both ERC and the Landmark Foundation saw the future value of a more diverse technology workforce – ERC in the area of engineering and construction and Landmark in meeting the IT needs of Dominion Enterprises, a Norfolk-based multifaceted media company.”
President Kolovani noted that the Landmark Foundation also supports dual enrollment scholarships for high school students in foster care who are earning college credits at TCC.
“I am grateful for the support of both of these organizations,” she said. “They truly put the ‘community’ in ‘community college.’”
Keynote speaker Paul Koonce, executive vice president and president and chief executive officer of the Power Generation Group, Dominion Energy, called the community college system “one of Virginia’s greatest inventions.”
He borrowed a passage from a 1903 Teddy Roosevelt speech to underscore the invaluable connection between higher education and opportunity: “Far and away, the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
The purpose of supporting community colleges, he said. “is to make sure that prize – meaningful work – the best prize that life offers, remains within reach of every Virginian.”
The TCC Educational Foundation works to lower financial barriers for students seeking college educations. For information on supporting TCC scholars, contact foundation@tcc.edu or 757-822-1080.
