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| Elizabeth Kent Duffey, Crystal Mickens, Grace Yancy, and Kim Pomier |
Congratulations to Crystal Mickens, First Place; Elizabeth Kent Duffey, Second Place; Grace Yancy, Third Place; and Kim Pomier, Honorable Mention.
Crystal Mickens described her personal struggles at two other colleges before finding JSRCC. “The opportunity to go to Reynolds came at a time when I thought I was a complete failure, when I thought I would never see any success in my life. My time at Reynolds has reaffirmed to me that I’m more than capable of handling whatever life throws at me – that I have the skills and knowledge to succeed and move forward.” Crystal noted, “And the teachers, well, they have been the best part of the school to me. They’ve looked out for me almost as much as my own Mom. That’s why going to Reynolds has meant so much to me.”
When Elizabeth Kent Duffey enrolled at Reynolds to complete prerequisite courses for a Bachelor of Science degree at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing she considered Reynolds as simply a means to an end. However, in her classes she witnessed men and women of all ages striving to improve their lives though education, often in spite of difficult circumstances, with hope for a better future. As to what Reynolds has meant to her, “It means hope. It means dedication. It means being witness to individuals who know that an education will bring change to their lives and to the lives of those they love.”
In her essay Grace Yancy talked about her journey of self-discovery at Reynolds. Although her relationship with learning started out well as a young child, she describes her years in middle school and high school as “miserable and traumatic experiences.” Nonetheless, after high school graduation she enrolled in classes at Reynolds at the urging of her parents. She found the professors at Reynolds to be a breath of fresh air and did very well from her first semester, renewing her confidence in her abilities. During her time at Reynolds she came to realize that “my biggest obstacle has always been me.” Grace said, “I have resolved to not allow myself to be mediocre or cheat myself out of success ever again. I have taken the confidence and insight that I found at J. Sargeant Reynolds and applied it to other facets of my life…I didn’t just learn how to use Microsoft Excel or how to factor polynomials; I learned to hold myself accountable for my happiness and productivity.”
Kim Pomier’s “long and interrupted Reynolds journey” began in 1977, when she enrolled to study Secretarial Science. One of her class assignments was to take the exam for employment with the State of Virginia. Although Kim was not seeking a job and had no intentions of leaving school, in the end a full-time position with the Department of Health was offered, and Kim accepted the position. She worked for the state for the next 14 years, got married, held jobs in several different industries, and traveled extensively doing missionary work. Through the years her desire to gain an education never left her and returning to J. Sargeant Reynolds was always in the back of her mind. For many years she passed the downtown campus every day and longed to attend classes again. Kim was finally able to realize her dream of returning to Reynolds in 2011 after being laid off when her employer moved out of state. Kim calls her Reynolds experience “a thirty-four year journey back to what my heart desired.”
Congratulations to all the winners!
Read the Essays here:
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Mickens.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Duffey.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Yancy.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Pomier.pdf
Read the Essays here:
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Mickens.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Duffey.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Yancy.pdf
http://www.reynolds.edu/_news/documents/Essay-Pomier.pdf
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| Crystal Mickens, First Place Winner |
