Each time Margo Fairchild enters a class at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, she envisions herself as an empty cup ready to be filled with knowledge.
Margo hasn’t
always been so dedicated to formal education. At the end of her junior year at
Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, despite a good academic record she lost
interest in school. She dropped out, earned her GED at 16 years of age, and
spent the next four years working with no real plans for her future. Eventually
she found herself longing for something more. She enrolled at Reynolds in the
fall of 2012 where she discovered a new thirst for knowledge and a desire to
pursue a career helping others. Just over a year later she’s already well on
her way to that future.
According to
Margo, she fell in love with her Spanish class at Reynolds. Her professor,
Maria Espiritu, recognized Margo’s talent and enthusiasm and suggested she take
on the role of tutoring students in Spanish 101, so Margo did just that. Margo’s
hard work resulted in a 4.0 grade point average in her first year at Reynolds
and induction to the PTK honor society.
In May 2013
Margo learned she had been selected as a member of the 2013-2014 class of
Valley Proteins Fellows. In addition to covering the cost of tuition the
scholarship program also offers opportunities for professional development,
travel and cultural experiences, a stipend for an internship and a community
service project. Margo credits her receipt of the Valley Proteins Fellowship to
Reynolds Scholarship Manager Nichole Page who advised her of the scholarship
opportunity and prompted her to apply. “The fellowship has meant so much to me,
most importantly peace of mind as I don’t have to worry about working to pay
for my classes, allowing me to concentrate on my studies.”
Seeking an
opportunity to immerse herself in the Spanish language over the summer of 2013,
Margo and her roommate engaged in a fundraising campaign hoping to raise enough
funds to finance a three-week trip to Guatemala to volunteer at an orphanage with
about 60 children. The fundraising campaign was so successful that in addition
to financing their trip and making a financial donation to the orphanage, the
young women were able to purchase Earthbox container garden systems for the
orphanage. They set a goal of teaching the children sustainable gardening during
their stay, with a vision of expanding the orphanage’s food supply. The gardening
system boxes were shipped from Mexico to Guatemala and were waiting for them
when they arrived, along with a farming specialist who traveled from Mexico to
Guatemala to provide instruction in the use of the Earthboxes.
It was while she
was in Guatemala that Margo was offered the opportunity, as a Valley Proteins
Fellow, to attend the 2013 International Youth Organization Forum in China along
with 200 other students representing 26 countries. She jumped at the
opportunity. During her week-long trip in October Margo enjoyed many new
experiences, meeting and exchanging ideas with students from many different
cultures and visiting landmarks like the Forbidden City and the Great
Wall.
Margo plans
to transfer to VCU in the fall of 2014 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in
International Studies with a minor in Spanish. Her long term goal is to pursue
a career helping people of many different cultures, perhaps by increasing their
food security through sustainable gardening. Whatever path she chooses, Margo
is well on her way to a bright future.
