Students visit with General Assembly lawmakers



(L-R, Front row: Jospeh Mitchell, Whitney, Lenzen, Deborah Dancey, Pamela Thomas. Back row: Linda Anderson, Xiangbing Kong, Bernadette Johnson, McKela Simon, Harvey Chambers and Issac Nolte)

JSRCC students recently attended “Community College Day” at the Virginia General Assembly, sharing their Reynolds experiences and stories with a number of lawmakers.

Pamela Thomas expressed to Delegate Joe Morrissey that it is very important to keep the cost of attending J. Sargeant Reynolds as affordable as possible. Thomas is currently pursuing a degree in nursing at Reynolds while also working full-time and providing financial assistance to her daughter who is a student at James Madison University.

“I have always enjoyed helping people so I knew nursing would be a perfect fit,” noted Thomas. “My daughter is majoring in communications at JMU and right now we both are on track to graduate next spring. It is funny, as she often calls to ensure I have completed all my homework.”

JSRCC students visit with Delegate Joe Morrissey

 Linda Anderson shared with Delegate Lee Ware that she was a hairdresser for over 30 years, but when the recession hit, she knew she had to find a more stable career.

“I knew when money gets tight, less and less people would be looking to get their hair done,” noted Anderson. “I enjoy people and I wanted a career that would always be in need – so I chose nursing.”

L-R: Delegate Ware, Linda Anderson, Whitney Lenzen, Xiangbing Kong and McKela Simon)

Following the morning visits, the students toured the Virginia State Capitol, the building that holds the nation’s oldest legislative body. During the General Assembly session, the group was introduced and welcomed by Delegate Ware.