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Student Testimonials

A "Cinderella Man" Story

Drew Bratton with his supervisor.To be described as "outstanding, sharp" and a "quick learner" as well as to know that people in your new place of employment are pleased to have you on board evoke feelings that only Drew Bratton, a Virginia Western engineering student can express.

Drew is now a mechanical engineering technician at Plastics One, a 57-year-old Roanoke County-based company that manufactures cable connectors used in the medical and communication industries, as well as devices that assist pharmaceutical companies, universities and government agencies around the world in pre-clinical research, and custom injection molding.

How it Began

From his role as assistant store manager for Northwest Hardware to his current job, Drew credits Virginia Western and the College’s Career and Employment Assistance Center with leading him to his current place in life.

Drew Bratton at his computer.A student in several of Assistant Professor David Webb’s engineering classes, Drew credits a high-school teacher with sparking his interest in engineering, and Virginia Western with the great education that helped him get in the door at Plastics One.

Virginia Western’s Career and Employment Assistance Center opened in fall 2005. The then 20-year-old Drew went online to register. Soon after, he was contacted with job leads, one of which was Plastics One and the one in which he was very interested. December ’05 was a good month for him as he received an offer from Plastics One. He began working in January, earning more than he was as assistant store manager and he is now saving for a house and his future.

Jackie Barker, an engineering technician who has been employed at Plastics One for 18 years, trains Drew on some of the products. "He is excellent," she said. "I’ve worked with a lot of the folks coming out of Virginia Western. He’s up to par and he pays attention. He’s a fast learner and top notch."

She too has taken engineering classes at Virginia Western and credits our faculty with being approachable and helpful when she needed assistance. She added that her daughter is studying here too.

About Plastics One

A successful company, not willing to be a well-kept secret anymore, Plastics One’s 60,000 square foot facility employs Plastics One sign.260 people in its three divisions. According to John Richardson, vice president of sales and marketing, 70% of the company’s business comes from the cable connectors division. In addition, the facility, which sits on 15 acres of land off of Merriman Road continues to grow and will soon add 15,000 square feet.

He added that 1.1% of Plastics One’s business comes from Roanoke, with 5 to 6% coming from businesses within Virginia, 20% Drew Bratton with the Vice President of Plastics One.from international companies and the remainder from customers across the U.S.

Another jewel of information about the company is that it is employee owned, with the amount of shares owned by anyone in the company being based on tenure, grade level and pay scale. The company also has a tuition reimbursement program, where an employee will be fully reimbursed for classes and books if he or she receives an A grade.

John is also proud of the company’s ability to manufacture customized small and large orders and he touts the employment of eight full-time toolmakers, who design the tools and parts, and then build and mold them on-site.

His Future Endeavour

As for Drew, he has his AAS in mechanical engineering and will be taking preliminary classes to get ready to achieve a BA in mechanical engineering from Old Dominion University, with whom Virginia Western has a transfer and articulation agreement. Drew expects it will take him about three to four years to complete this as he’ll be balancing work and school. "There’ll not be much time to goof off," he said.

Drew noted several aspects he appreciated about Virginia Western include the flexibility of classes, which allowed him to work around his schedule, the quality of education he received, the personal attention from the teachers, and the Career and Employment Assistance Center.

A middle child, Drew, lives in Salem with his parents and two siblings. He added that he owes a lot to his parents who helped him with anything he could possibly ask for while going to college.

A Local Writer’s Quest to Become Published

With a few semesters of creative writing under his belt and numerous years of military experiences to share, Roanoke County resident Skip Hollingsworth wrote a novel. So far, he has received 42 rejection notices from publishers.

He is not worried by these notices, however, because he said, "Tom Clancy received about 200 rejection letters before publishing The Hunt for Red October. Until he receives his 200th letter, Hollingsworth feels that he is doing well.

With the odds stacked against a writer who is trying to publish a book, many authors are turning to self publishing. But Hollingsworth is taking the risk, which may bring him rewards or even more rejections. It is his journey.

How did he find his way to writing? He relayed his process in a creatively-written letter, from which the rest of this story is an excerpt:

On January 20, 2003, something happened to me that may have very well been the most pivotal day of my life. My father died. On that cold, gray day amid five hours of non-stop driving, I made it to within 5 miles of the hospital before he died - and I’m pretty sure he planned it that way.

Skip Hollingsworth.In the subsequent days following dad’s internment at Arlington National Cemetery, I found myself lost in a sea of apprehension and regret. What would I do with my life? My mentor, my hero, my biggest fan was . . . gone.

Then, one afternoon, I happened to pick up a discarded class schedule from Virginia Western Community College that had been left in a grocery store shopping cart. I thumbed through it briefly, only to toss it in the back seat of my car along with other forgotten materials of interest. There it sat for several days. That is, until the day I found myself stuck on I-81 behind an all-too-frequent fender-bender.

Sitting at a standstill, I turned off the ignition and looked for ways to pass the time. Right on top [of a stack of magazines], as if by design, the class schedule beckoned to me. So, once again, I started turning the pages to this thin catalogue.

As I wondered my way through the tiny print, I finally fell upon the English department’s menu of courses. I smiled to myself and remembered how much I had detested freshman English in college. And, then, something caught my eye; CREATIVE WRITING - FICTION. Traffic started moving. I tossed the class schedule onto the passenger seat.

That very afternoon, I enrolled. I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what would be required of me. Over the next few weeks prior to the start date, I vacillated over the legitimacy of my undertaking. Was this a good idea? Or was this just a manic, spastic attempt at finding an answer - any answer?

My own self-doubt ate at me. And, I found myself wishing for dad’s guidance.

Suddenly, it was August. As I walked into Duncan Hall, I wondered how ridiculous I looked - the pushing-forty lost soul trying to fit in with the "hip" crowd. What a pathetic sight. What would dad think?

Entering Room D-211, I chose a seat in the second row and quickly planted myself. I noticed with great relief that the age range in the room was not the late-teen menagerie I had feared. By the contrary, I witnessed a meeting of three different generations all seated together, facing an empty podium.

Then, the instructor entered. He quickly introduced himself and I dutifully wrote his name down in my notebook: Brad Burkholder. Professor Burkholder began by spewing some baloney about "the writer’s path."

He drew a line on the erasable marker board behind him and noted that everyone in the room was somewhere on that line - somewhere on that path. But, no matter how far each individual progressed along this so-called writer’s path, those that are at the path’s entrance were no less valuable. For, each person brought a different perspective to the path and could directly affect the journey of every other individual. "We are all equal in this room," he demanded, "and I expect you to call me Brad."

At that point, he went on to say, "…I want you to keep in mind the three keys to writing good fiction: A healthy and functioning facility for language, a good sense for the dramatic, and a belief in the miraculous. What I mean is that to put down on paper what we would classify as "good fiction," we need to embrace the improbable. You see, writing fiction is nothing more than an exploration of our own humanity. It is a study of consequences presented in a dramatic form. It is life’s journey splayed out before us in words. By embracing the improbable, we make the journey that much more interesting to the reader."

Over the next few weeks, I found myself doing little else other than thinking about the improbable. Brad took us through exercises to stimulate our imagination and hone our skills. He encouraged us to step outside the box and push the boundaries of possibility. He taught us how to dazzle and perplex, how to captivate and emote. Before I knew it, I was writing with wild abandon. I couldn’t wait to get home from work and pound out the story lines running through my head. Unbeknownst to Professor Burkholder, he had given me a cathartic gift of which I can find neither a sufficient measure of value nor a befitting means of expressing gratitude.

Over the course of the following five semesters of Wednesday night’s Creative Writing - Fiction while under Brad’s tutelage and by way of the encouragement and critical analysis of each semester’s workshop participants, I produced a novel - albeit an unpublished one at this point in time. Talk about embracing the improbable!

Now, as I participate in my seventh consecutive semester, I can say proudly that I am still on the writer’s path, trudging away at producing a second novel. Some days the path is rocky and strewn with obstacles. But other days, it is as pristine and as smooth as polished glass. And, I owe it all to one man: Brad Burkholder.

I know all that sounds overly sentimental. However, I can assure you that I am not alone in my assessment. There are others. For most of us it has become a quiet source of joy and a welcome departure from our world’s reality and what sometimes seems to be an ever-increasingly graceless age. I dare to say that there are plenty of us that could use just such an escape. If you happen to be one of them, come see us. You won’t regret it. See ya Wednesday night.

Hollingsworth was born in California. His father was an Air Force Officer. Hollingsworth earned a business degree from California Pacific University and followed in his father’s military footsteps. He became a Marine Corps Officer. He served in land and sea deployments to Central America, the Far East and served in active combat during Operation Desert Storm. For years he filled journals with thoughts of his military experiences. As a result of the guidance, expertise and critical reviews of his work by professionals and his peers, he won the "2005 Clyde Jones Literary Award for Creative Writing." He is also a freelance feature writer for the local Travel Host periodical.

Hollingsworth’s book, Dinner With Lenny, is a fictional account about two couples overtaken by Hurricane Lenny. They are imprisoned inside a forty mile wide stadium of clouds with no option to escape and no means to communicate with the outside world. Rescuers from the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, Air Force Hurricane Hunter prepare to investigate and hopefully rescue these couples from the catastrophe that is Lenny.

To find out how the story ends, you’re going to need to buy the book and the outcome of this adventure, Skip Hollingsworth’s adventure that is, is yet to be determined.

An Immigrant’s Story

How many of us would leave the familiar, secure surroundings of our homeland for a foreign country where we did not speak the language, did not know the culture, had little family or friends to help, and where everything would be new?

Her Story

VWCC graduate, Cecilia Vera.This is the story of Cecilia Vera, a Virginia Western graduate who left Buenos Aires, Argentina, a little more than four years ago, did not speak a word of English, and who immigrated to Miami before eventually settling in Roanoke. For most immigrants that enter the United States, as is also the case for Cecilia, the desire for a "better opportunity to advance and live" was the driving force that brought her here.

This determined, tenacious 38-year-old woman is now a relationship banker with BB&T, a position she’s held since December 2005, and which was secured through the College’s career placement center. She taught herself English by turning on the captions feature on the television, which she did for six months.

Cecilia’s first class at Virginia Western [in 2003] was keyboarding, taught by Sandy McMinnis, who is the administrative officer for the career placement center. "When I met her, I noticed something special about her," said Sandy. "I saw a steady progression [in her work, skills and language]. It was not just that she was motivated and had a strong work ethic," added Sandy, "she was on a personal mission to succeed and it was my pleasure to be able to help her do so."

Upon arriving in the United States, Cecilia spent nine months in Miami, before returning to Argentina to collect her daughter. She came back to Miami for a few more months and realized it was difficult to learn English because, there, everyone spoke Spanish. She came to Roanoke because "I knew here, I would have to speak only English and I wanted to learn the [American] culture and language."

For all that Cecilia has now - a husband, Jesse Blankenship, and step-son, Christopher, a home in Roanoke, her 11-year-old daughter, Lucy, from a previous marriage, a secure job that recognizes her talents - she confessed to only recently feeling comfortable supermarket shopping alone. "I would never speak up in a supermarket because, for an adult, it is very embarrassing to not be able to communicate the same way," she said.

Her Achievements

That speaks volumes about her character, said Doug Eggleston, Financial Center Leader and Cecilia’s manager at the Tanglewood location of BB&T. He added, "one of the things that impressed me was her comprehension. [During the interview] I made no attempt to annunciate and she picked up what I was saying." He added, "The ability to understand [English] and be understood is key" as this position engages understanding of BB&T clients to be able to help them with financial products and services, including loans, insurance, wealth management and other services.

Cecilia Vera at her desk.Doug also complimented Cecilia on her work ethic. "When we found out how long she was in the U.S. and [witnessed] her ability to communicate in English, it showed us this person has the ability to be a real asset in this company," he said. Cecilia is also an asset to BB&T because the company is reaching out to the Hispanic community.

Virginia Western’s Hall and Associates Career and Employment Assistance Center opened in the fall of 2005. Connie Pool, BB&T’s employment consultant for the southwest Virginia region, said she values the partnership with Virginia Western because "we are continually looking for this caliber of employee, and with each hire we are looking to improve so we can better deliver our products and services to our clients." Connie describes Cecilia as being a complete package - motivated, capable, friendly, enthusiastic and professional - which is important as this position also represents the image of the bank.

Cecilia Vera and coworkers.Sandy said the Virginia Western/BB&T exchange "has been a valuable relationship because BB&T is providing jobs to our students whose goals are a job and a career."

Connie agreed and added that she is glad to have the relationship with Virginia Western because the College is delivering quality individuals to whom they may not have had access, prior to this partnership.

Cecilia feels blessed for her life in America. "My job gives me the opportunity to meet people and to learn about them and to help them," she said. Virginia Western’s teachers were very supportive of Cecilia. "I’m here today because of them. I had wonderful teachers," she said.

Although the road to success has been long and challenging, Cecilia graduated from Virginia Western in May ‘06 with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Administrative Support Technology.

An Intensive Education for a Man with an Intensive Past

Michael Christianson, 37, is in a job he loves. He is married to a wonderful woman, Beth, and they live in Vinton. He also has a daughter who lives in Ohio. Life is good for him and he is satisfied with where he is heading in his career. So, what’s Michael’s story?

About two years ago, Michael was working at a local restaurant. He said, "I was working hard as a line cook at 35 years old for a company that did not offer benefits and [I] saw no future in it." He was already taking classes in welding at Virginia Western and wanted to participate in the new Intensive Welder Training Michael Christianson.Program the college premiered in Fall 2006. The 15-week program, held at the Greenfield Center in Botetourt County, combines hands-on training with book knowledge so students gain the skills for a trade that is in high demand in our region. Before Michael graduated from the program, he had a job at Altec, the company for which he currently works.

This transition from cook to student welder was not an easy one for him. First, to get into the Intensive Welder Training Program, Michael had to adjust his time schedule at the restaurant from working weekdays to working weekends. His boss was kind and wrote a letter of recommendation so Michael could enter the Intensive Welder Training Program. Then came the series of classes from oxy fuel welding to arc welding to G-maw arc welding to reading welding blueprints to flux core arc welding to gas tungsten arc welding; just to list a few.

He said, "The classes were very informative. There was lots of attention to detail in the class and I learned a great deal." About three-fourths of the way through the class, Michael landed an internship at the Botetourt site of Altec, and said goodbye to the food business, in which he had worked for 20 years. Michael credits the Greenfield staff, Ruth Hendrick, Michael Bryant, Randy Sink and others, as being "exceptionally helpful" in assisting him with finding the internship.

He also appreciates that Bryant, an industry expert who is able to certify welders according to the American Welding Society standards, presented opportunities for Michael Christianson at work.the welding students to become certified in a variety of structural steel techniques including "MIG," (gas metal and flux core arc welding) and "TIG," (gas tungsten arc welding). "I’m certified in TIG," said Michael.

Michael sees his life differently now. His internship turned into a job. He sees a future in his career and in a job that pays him a competitive salary and benefits. "Taking the Intensive Welder Training Program has definitely opened doors for me," he said. "It has been a good avenue for me to enhance my opportunities and broaden my horizons. I’ve also checked around the job market, and for the Roanoke Valley, Altec is the place to work. In 20 years I can retire with a pension and incredible dental and medical coverage for my wife and myself. These are all big factors in turning my life around," he added.

Altec’s corporate headquarters is in Alabama. The company provides products and services for the electric utility, telecommunications and contractor markets. Michael started as a welder at Altec. His job now is to mount booms on cranes and operate overhead cranes as well as hydraulic and electrical work. "I’ve turned into a jack of all trades," he said and expects his function at Altec will return to welding in the near future.

To give more of a glimpse into Michael’s past, he is a recovering alcoholic. He grew up in Chicago. In 1992 he moved to Salem from Florida and has been living in this area ever since. He confessed that he had been "getting into trouble and doing dumb things kids do. It took me some time to grow up," he said. Michael had an interest in welding. He believes this program could also benefit younger people who may need an alternative or other direction to change their life.

Michael Christianson at work."Virginia Western’s Intensive Welder Training program met with much success as everyone in that graduating class received jobs immediately upon completing the program," said Ruth Hendrick, Administrative Officer for Workforce Development Services. "Many of the area’s employers are in need of skilled and trained welders, and starting wages could average $12-$14 per hour. Experienced welders can earn $25,000 to $50,000 per year," she said.

The Intensive Welder Training program has been held Wednesdays through Fridays, plus alternate Saturdays. Due to the intensive nature of the program, students may not miss more than one six-hour session per course to continue the program.

"This is a great chance for men and women to begin a new career in a high-demand field," said Hendrick. "Financial aid is also available for this program," she said.

Individuals interested in becoming welders can call (540) 966-3984 with any questions about the Intensive Welding program. The Greenfield Education & Training Center is located at 57 South Center Drive, Daleville, VA 24083.

VWCC Graduate Shoots For the Stars

In Andrew Flett’s 42 years, he has been searching for his calling and has finally found it. Raised in Roanoke Country, Flett graduated from Cave Spring High School Andrew Flett.in 1983. After attending James Madison University, with the intention of earning a degree in physics, Flett realized it wasn’t for him and moved back to Roanoke.

For the next twenty years, he held a variety of jobs between Roanoke and Richmond. Managing restaurants, running comic book and game stores, and clerking food stores are just a few of the jobs Flett has held in his life; but he still hadn’t found his calling.

Finally, in June 2004, that all changed when aerospace engineer mogul Burt Rutan launched the first privately funded human spaceflight, SpaceShipOne. The flight made international headlines and inspired Flett to follow his dream.

"I’ve always been fascinated with engineering and how things work," Flett says. "Watching an aircraft in space and realizing that independent men are now capable of making such machines motivated me to learn more about aeronautics."

The following semester, Flett enrolled at Virginia Western Community College, studying engineering and science with a specialization in mathematics. He graduated with his dual associates’ degrees last semester, earning a 3.92 GPA.

"It was a tough but enjoyable experience," Flett says. "I think engineering is easier for me since I have had some real world experience. For example, let’s say you have to design an office chair. It helps if you have worked in an office for years and understand what people will be looking for in a comfortable, efficient chair."

Flett is now enrolled at Georgia Tech Institute of Technology for the upcoming fall semester and intends to one day get a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering like his idol Burt Rutan. Once Flett finishes with his education, he wants to go into aeronautical research and help teach others about aerospace engineering. "If it flies," Flett says, "I am interested in it. And hopefully one day I can get others into it as well."

VWCC Students Faired Well In Off-Road Vehicle Competition

Ten Engineering and Technology students from Virginia Western Community College, under the supervision of Associate Professor Richard Clark, went to Rochester, NY the first weekend of June to drive and showcase a vehicle they had built from scratch. They competed against 141 other colleges in a nation-wide competition to build an off-road vehicle, called a Baja.

"We wanted to allow our students the opportunity to take a real life situation and starting from scratch get to plan, build and essentially create a vehicle that is fully operational. This is a great learning experience not many community colleges get a chance to undertake," says Clark, "and we are proud that Virginia Western had the opportunity to compete."

Clark and his team made the most of this opportunity. Virginia Western’s team was ranked first among community colleges, 2nd among new teams entered into the competition, 3rd from the state of Virginia, and finished 70th overall.

"For our first year in the Baja competition, I think we did much better than people were expecting from us," says team member Everett Braden.

The design of each Baja vehicle needed to include a 10 HP Briggs and Stratton engine that averages 30-40 miles per hour. Other than that, each design was completely unique to each team. Virginia Western opted to develop a transmission system that provided for smoother maneuverability and quicker acceleration.

The judging of the vehicles was two-fold; static and dynamic. The static competition was based on a portfolio of work the teams had put together including a detailed design report outlining the internal and external structure of the vehicle. This involved any pictures, graphs, graphics, and other data the teams wished to present. The static competition also included a cost report of designing and making the vehicle. Finally, vehicles were judged on presentations given by team members to mock corporate executives.

The dynamic events tested the Baja’s on and off the road in five events. Acceleration was judged by how long the vehicles take to accelerate 100 feet. Traction was tested by the Baja’s ability to climb an incline from a standing position. Maneuverability tested the vehicles suspension, handling and steering by driving it on a course that includes tight turns, pylon maneuvers, ruts and bumps, drop offs, sand, rocks, gullies, logs, and inclines. Finally, an endurance race, which was worth 400 out of the possible 1,000 points, tested the vehicles ability to operate continuously and at speed over rough terrain containing obstacles in any weather condition.

"This is a project we are planning on continuing in years to come," says Clark. "We hope to branch out and make this an interdisciplinary event in the future, adding students from Marketing and Business programs to assist in the cost planning and design aspects of the program."

The Baja competition is held by the Society of Automotive Engineers, whose objective is to provide students a challenging project that involves the planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams competed against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm.

The Virginia Western Educational Foundation has provided Clark and his team two grants that equal ten thousand dollars. Clark and his team were also able to obtain donations from outside sources including Central Boat and Trailer Sales and the Haddington Group.

For more information on the Baja competition, visit SAE International. For more information on Virginia Western’s Baja vehicle or their College of Engineering, contact Associate Professor Richard Clark at (540) 857-6262.

VWCC - The Community's College