CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – Four John Tyler Community College students were among 53 scholarship recipients honored during a recent luncheon hosted by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). During the event, the students, their families and representatives from Virginia’s community colleges heard from Dr. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the VCCS. DuBois commended the scholars, saying, “These outstanding students are Virginia’s future leaders. They represent the potential in all of our youth and the difference that we each can make in the world.” John Adams, chairman of the Martin Agency and the luncheon’s keynote speaker, told the students their lives and careers will probably not work out as planned. That’s good news, he said, “because some of these things will turn out much better than you expect, and because life is an adventure and therefore much more interesting than if it were predictable.”
Two John Tyler Community College students, Matthew Wild and Tuyet-Nhi Dao, received the HCA Virginia Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship. The Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program was established in 2006 through the generosity of private donors to the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. The scholarships recognize students from across the Commonwealth who have demonstrated academic excellence during high school as well as a commitment to developing their leadership skills. Each scholarship bears the name of one of many philanthropy leaders who supports Virginia’s Community Colleges. Wild lives in Midlothian and is studying Cisco networking as well as science at John Tyler. He says his goal is to use the knowledge he gains to start his own company, specializing in network solutions. Dao, who is from Richmond, is currently enrolled in a transfer degree program. Once she completes it, she plans to transfer to Old Dominion University to study international relations.
Matthew “Aaron” Rogerson and Lyndsay Welch were honored for receiving Richmond Region Commonwealth Legacy Scholarships, which are supported by the Moses D. Nunnally, Jr. Charitable Lead Unitrust. Rogerson, who lives in Moseley, says he will save money on his first two years of college at Tyler before transferring to a four-year institution. Welch, who lives in Powhatan, says she wants to make a difference in the lives of others, so she is working on a degree and certificate that will put her on the pathway to becoming a teacher.
John Tyler Community College is a two-year, public institution of higher education and is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served more than 14,000 students during the 2012-13 academic year, offers 17 associate degrees, seven certificates, and 34 career studies certificates. The institution also serves 15,000 non-credit students and more than 1,200 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance. The College also is committed to sustainability. In July 2010, it received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for Hamel Hall on its Midlothian Campus, becoming the first in the Virginia Community College System to receive such recognition. John Tyler Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.