April 2024

Southside Virginia Community College welcomes Hunter Tuck as a Career/STEM Coach at Halifax County High School. He is a graduate of Randolph-Henry High School and completed the Governor's School Program through Southside Virginia Community College. Mr.Tuck has a BS degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology and Leadership Studies from VCU. Most recently, he taught at Prince Edward County High School as a Biology/Environmental Science Instructor. 

Hunter has worked part time with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium with various STEM Education programs since 2017. He has been an intern and mentor for the Virginia Earth System Science Scholars Program. Also, he has been a Master Teacher for the Virginia Space Coast Scholars (VSCS) program for the past three years, which is offered to high school sophomores across the state of Virginia.

Hunter's primary focus as the Career/STEM Coach is to identify & work with area high school students who possess an interest or exhibit a skill set in career/occupational/technical fields and STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) fields.

By Hunter Tuck, Career/STEM Coach, Halifax High School

Kamora Venable is an upcoming Class of 2024 graduate from Halifax County High School who has pursued her career aspirations in cosmetology diligently. When she was younger, she was taught how to do hair styling techniques on mannequins

and has continued to practice and hone her skills over the years. This led to her now doing hair appointments and developing a preliminary website for her services in the community. Kamora plans to attend SVCC this Fall for the Cosmetology program to continue learning more about hair techniques, color and nail tech. This will help her expand her own salon services to reach more clients in the community!

When asked what makes a hair salon successful, Kamora emphasized making clients feel comfortable and at home. She prioritizes hospitality for all her clients and stresses the importance of treating everyone with respect, which makes a difference in client retention. Kamora not only has taken it on herself to start taking appointments and getting experience with hair services; she also has been involved in dance classes ranging from hip-hop to contemporary jazz for the past 8 years. Later down the road, she is interested in business and/or health related fields. Kamora is dedicated towards pursuing her passions and prioritizes time management to be successful at achieving her goals. We can’t wait to see what she will accomplish in the future!

By Tammy Wiley, Career Coach

I met Eleanore Sassi, both a Randolph Henry High School Senior and SVCC Dual Enrollment student, prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday. I was so impressed by the Statesmen Wrestler and SVCC student that I wanted to share her story. I asked Elle to write a short paragraph and here it is:

"I originally got into welding for job security. I didn't know what I wanted to do but I knew welding would be a good career if nothing else worked. It turned out I enjoyed it so much I decided it would be my career, that's what I wanted to do. I found myself getting pretty good at welding pretty quickly and my teacher, Mr. Braun, noticed. He wanted to help me succeed in the field and go as far as I could, so he helped me look for opportunities, and found the VASTS program with NASA. I successfully got in and have been enjoying the class thus far, it's centered around aerospace and engineering. I plan to be a Welding Engineering major and do something in the Aerospace field, Mr. Braun is helping as far along as he can and I couldn't ask for a better mentor!"

Anxious to get a jump on her career goals, Central High School senior, Hailey Routt approached her Career Coach during the fall semester to inquire about the possibility of beginning her EMS classes while still in high school. Hailey attends high school on an abbreviated schedule as well as working after school at Salon Envie in Kenbridge, VA and volunteering with the Victoria Fire and Rescue Department. After some research and determining that the EMS courses that she needed would fit her schedule, we contacted Ricky Lyles, SVCC EMS instructor, who was enthusiastic to assist. Hailey has been juggling high school, work, and her EMS classes successfully all semester. She is thrilled to have a head start on her future plans and has already enrolled in her next classes.

On March 19, 2024, Central High School held an Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) College Night event. Students and

parents were invited to learn more about the college planning process. LaTonya Stith,

Guidance Counselor, and Melissa Colbert, Career Coach, presented information on choosing a college and career path, tackling the application and financial aid processes, and taking the necessary steps in high school to realize these goals. Students from all grade levels were in attendance. ECMC awarded one participant with a $1000 college scholarship. Freshman Wyatt Pellersels was the winner and is excited about being one step closer to his college aspirations.