Employee Profile

Jake Harrison
Information Technology Specialist III 

Where did you grow up and what was it like?

I grew up in Hanover county and Sebastian, Florida. I stayed in both a developed community and later in a more rural part in Hanover. It seemed like a quiet and safe place as a kid. I moved with family to Sebastian to finish high school. It was very beautiful and I enjoyed fishing with my grandfather. Unfortunately it didn’t provide much opportunity for the career I was interested in.

What were you doing before coming to Reynolds?

I worked with a federal contractor in the FAA realm while in Florida.

What attracted you to working for the college?

I like project based work in IT and my previous experiences working in an educational environment were great.  

Tell us about your position and your work at the college?

I’m an Information Technology Specialist III and lead the systems engineering team in the Department of Technology.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? The most challenging?

I enjoy enabling other faculty and staff that work towards the goals of the college.  In return, the college is positively impacting the members of our community. I also enjoy working with our support team at the VCCS. Dr. Amar, Mary Jane Bolling, and Alicia Marques are great at what they do and I’m lucky to work with them.

The most challenging part would have to be the workload!  It’s just been myself for quite a while, but luckily that is changing this week.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I look forward to going home and spending time with my family every day. I inherited my father’s motorcycle and learned how to work on bikes just enough to get it running. I have a home lab environment for studying and enjoy electronics.  A recent project I did was assemble a handheld device that looks and functions like a Gameboy, but it can also be used for network assessments.

What are your favorite books, movies, or TV series, and why?

I’ll occasionally watch a TV show like Mythic Quest for the noise, but most of the time end up watching Blippi with my daughter. I’m currently reading “System Center Configuration Manager Reporting Unleashed” on my tablet.  

If you won $100 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?

I’d like to buy a house with a yard, pay off debt, and start a nonprofit refurbishing computers or bringing esports to schools.

Horticulture

How does your garden grow?

Greenleaf, a local medical cannabis producer, donated eight hydroponic grow tables to Reynolds horticulture program at The Kitchens. Crops are beginning to come up, and so are questions about what a grow table is, and what it does.

Hydroponic flood tables, also referred to as grow trays or plant trays, are a means for holding plants in a hydroponic, self-watering system. They generally work in tandem with a stand or rolling bench, with the hydroponic reservoir underneath.

Most tables feature a single submersible pump placed in the reservoir and operated on a timer to periodically flood the plants. After the flood cycle is complete, the pump shuts off and the nutrient solution flows back into the reservoir through the pump by way of gravity.

It's springtime and David Seward, Karin Stretchko, and all of the horticulture program students are seriously up to their knees in plants. They were gracious enough to take time to answer a few questions on a rainy afternoon. 

What are you growing in the tables at The Kitchens?  

Right now at The Kitchens, lettuces and kale. There are more products being produced at the Goochland Campus that have been growing longer. In Goochland assorted greens, vegetables, cucumbers, parsley, and a couple of other herbs are coming up.

Who will be using what is grown at The Kitchens? 

The material at the Kitchens will go to the Culinary program. In Goochland, vegetables and plants go to students, and the Goochland Cares Food bank.  We had a meeting with Kristen Holt, and will soon begin sharing harvests with Reynolds Food Pantries for our students.

Is the grow time different than in the ground?  

I’d say the grow time is shorter in the hydroponics set up since it doesn’t slow up with weather conditions.

How are the tables regulated? What happens if the power goes off?  

The floating system we are using at The Kitchens would be fine for a while with no power. The only things needing electricity would be the heaters/fans in the greenhouse itself, and the air stones used to provide oxygen to the water solution they are floating in.

Will you be expanding the program?  

We may add a couple of tables at The Kitchens, and in Goochland. In general we do plan to expand our Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offerings.  We are also working on a ground bed at The Kitchens, which means we are creating a raised bed to be in the greenhouse, where we can grow other crops.

Employee Profile

Ashley King
G3 Advising Coordinator / Advising & Counseling Services

Where did you grow up and what was it like? 

I grew up in Glen Allen, Virginia where I had an amazing childhood. I loved doing activities so I was in extracurricular activities such as: Little league cheerleading, little league basketball, Track and field, and the Step Team. In the classroom, most of my teachers would say I was a “social butterfly”. 

What brought you to Reynolds?

What brought me to Reynolds is my love for people and education. Reynolds being a Community College allows me to meet people from all walks of life and I love hearing and learning about other ethnicities and cultures. More importantly, I love being able to help students reach their educational goals. I can’t say that growing up at Reynolds wasn’t part of what brought me to Reynolds. My mother is Jackie Manley. She has worked here at Reynolds since I was in Elementary School. Reynolds has always been family to me! 

What were you doing before coming to Reynolds?

Before Reynolds I was at Norfolk State University, pursing a major in Sociology and minoring in Criminal Justice. At this time, I worked for Saxon Shoes, where I’d been working the past eight years. Fortunately, Reynolds gave me an opportunity at a “real” fulltime job shortly after I graduated college.

Tell us about your work at the college. What is the most rewarding part of your job? The most challenging?

The most rewarding part of my job here at Reynolds is being able to interact with and learn from people from all over. The most challenging part about my job is hearing some of the difficulties our students face or have faced in their personal lives.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

I am a foodie! When I am not working, I am either at home in the kitchen cooking or out eating with my family. I love summer time, so you can always catch me at the pool or beach with husband and bonus son, or chilling with my friends at a concert or lounge. When I am not out and about I am home laying around watching shows and sports with my husband. 

What is your favorite book, movie, or TV series?

My favorite TV Series is Sistahs and favorite movies are Gladiator and The Negotiator. I love to read, but don’t have a favorite book.

If you won $100 million in the lottery what would you do with the money?

If I won $100 million in the lottery, I would reinvest my money into other businesses, start my own businesses and travel the world.

ATD

Reynolds attends Achieving The Dream’s 18th annual convening, DREAM 2022

Contributed by Kelly Waterbury / Enrollment Management and Student Success Coordinator, Advising Services

Achieving the Dream is a network of more than 300 colleges across 45 states that are dedicated to providing better services to students and accelerating student success. This network of community colleges work together to be the leaders of equitable change.

The week of February 14th, leaders, scholars and practitioners united for four days of Achieving The Dream’s (ATD’s) plenary sessions, DREAM 2022. Reynolds faculty and staff who attended are listed below. 

DREAM 2022 was a virtual conference that provided powerful and key insights about evidence-based reform strategies to sustain transformational change in higher education. The lessons and messages shared by the ADT presenters were focused on equity and continual change as the driving force for achieving educational, economic and social benefits of higher education for our nation’s students.

DREAM 2022 centered on five key themes representing challenges and opportunities for meaningful change in our colleges and communities.

• Building stronger pathways to and through postsecondary education

• Adopting a holistic, equity-focused approach to community vitality

• Eliminating systemic barriers to student success

• Fostering a sense of belonging through teaching and learning excellence

• Leveraging data and analytics for institutional and community well-being

Colleges in the ATD Network benefit from the collective learning of institutions and partners and from ATD’s 15 years of experience, anticipating future needs and issues in the face of continual change. Network institutions have the unique opportunity to learn from (and with) their peers through exclusive access to network events, summits, and convenings. 

Colleges leaders confirm that participation in the ATD Network makes a real impact in strengthening campus culture and increasing student outcomes.

Reynolds attendees: Jeffrey Allen, Nancy Bailey, Bern Battle, Heather Blicher, Chequana Boisseau, Melissa Brooks, Kris Dahm, Stacie Davis, Lori Dwyer, Lofton Hooker, Marlon Johnson, Karen Layou, Bess Littlefield, Teresa Jordan, Cara Luyster, Tim Merrill, Paula Pando, Ernesto Quintero, Jason Sampson, Terricita Sass, Robin Shepherd, Curt Smith, Bruce Sofinski, Kelly Waterbury, Clifton Webb, Herman West

Federal Work Study Program

FWS: Successes Prove its Value

Programs are just programs until names, faces, and successes prove their value.  

The Federal Work Study program (FWS) is a great example. The program was started in 1964 during the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Now, just shy of its 50th Anniversary, the program has been around so long it’s like electricity – you wouldn’t really notice it unless it got cut off. 

But at a time when enrollment and student retention are the most important goals Reynolds confronts, programs like FWS and the lives its impacted, should get a closer look. And what better time than National Student Employee Appreciation Week, April 11 to 15, to pay tribute to the FWS program through the lives of four Reynolds staff members.

Meredith Kane, Maria Clarke, Rachel Hoke, and Kanika Morris embody the original spirit and intention of FWS – to stimulate and promote part time employment for students with financial need in higher education. 

To say these four women are advocates of the program is not quite strong enough. Their lives have radically changed course as a result of their participation, and they all express great gratitude for the opportunity.

Meredith Kane 

Meredith came to Reynolds in 2019 as a part-time Financial Aid Specialist. Just as the Covid pandemic was in full swing in July 2020 she was hired full time as a Financial Aid Technician and was also given the role of FWS Coordinator. Before coming to Reynolds Meredith was working in retail merchandising management for two large department stores.

Meredith’s smile lights up when she talks about FWS and the students. Her connection to the program is personal. Before taking her job here at the college she knew first hand about the federal work study program. When she was in college at Virginia Tech she was a student worker. She worked in the Virginia Tech library sorting government documents which helped pay for her housing until she graduated.

“Many of the students in the program have limited or no prior work experience,” Meredith said. “These positions are opportunities for students to learn new skills including critical thinking, customer service, organization, time management and communication. When students graduate these skills can be used to build their resumes. Employers are impressed to see students who have job experience and who have worked while attending school, making FWS students more competitive and attractive to employers.”

And the benefit for Reynolds? “FWS students add value to the department they work in,” Meredith continues. “They are able to give feedback to supervisors and staff though student’s “eyes” – a perspective that might have previously been overlooked. Having a FWS student in your department is a great reminder that we are not just here for students to complete classwork, but we are here to also establish a foundation with real world skills for them to be successful beyond the classroom."

"Perhaps most important, work study students are more likely to complete their academic programs and have a greater sense of belonging in the college community. They stay on campus longer during the day. They are more dedicated and invested because they have the chance to develop deeper relationships with faculty and staff who continually check in with them to find out how they're doing.”

Maria Clarke

Maria's first comment is: “I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to work as a work study student.” The experience gave her career a 180 degree turn and changed her future. She has a degree in accounting, but life didn’t take her down that path.

When Maria came to Reynolds as a student she immediately went into the Work Study program in the Financial Aid Department. There she stayed in that department for the next 15 years. “At the time I started I had a single focus. I was going to be an accountant and work with numbers. But I like helping people. The work study changed me. Six months after working as a work study I was offered a part-time position as a Financial Aid Technician. Soon after I was offered a full-time position as a Financial Aid Advisor. Then, in 2014 I was promoted to Financial Aid Coordinator. All of this was possible because I had the work study opportunity.”

“We are always happy to have a work study student in the office. We use them to test the FAFSA. They see things from their perspective, and that really helps us.” 

No doubt, Maria, like Meredith, is just about the best mentor and guide a student could ask for. Both have been down the FWS road. Both are caring and compassionate. Both know how much students need that extra help.

Rachel Hoke

Rachel (on left in picture) will tell you she didn’t get into Reynolds FWS until her last semester, and “that was a big mistake.” She wished she had gotten into the program from the beginning. “I was working in retail, and wasn’t building any career skills. My Work Study job started in the Registrar’s Office. I really love Ms. Angela [Ross] she is great to work with. After graduation she kept me on, and gave me a part-time position. She is a great supporter of the Work Study program, and cares about student success. Being part of the program changed my mindset. I got much more serious and focused on my school work. Here I was on campus, and the staff was always checking up on me. I wanted to do well.”

Rachel received her associate’s degree in Social Sciences, and is now working on her bachelor’s degree at Old Dominion University. She continues to work part-time in Reynolds Registrar’s Office. 

Kanika Morris

“My experience in the work study program has been outstanding,” Kanika is quick to say. 

Before coming to Reynolds Kanika (on the right in picture) was a tractor-trailer driver, and as the job demanded, she had to be away from home too often.  She came to Reynolds out of curiosity. Her young son was being taught sign language, she was fascinated and wanted to learn it herself. As a student she ran into other students who were getting associate’s degrees and was certain she could do that too. 

As Kanika began her studies in Social Sciences she went into the Work Study program. She too started in the Financial Aid Office, then moved to Single Stop which was more closely aligned with her area of study. From there she went to the Registrar’s Office – she too loves Ms. Ross – and started working part-time. Kanika will graduate this spring, and will continue her studies at Old Dominion along with Rachel. Her young son? He also came to Reynolds, also participated in the Work Study program, and graduated from Reynolds last year, one year before his mom. 

“The work study program has helped me tremendously,” Kanika holds up her hands and gives a big smile. “It gave me a chance to stay home, and forced me to stay on top of my classes, to be dedicated and serious about my school work, and to be a mommy at the same time. The staff were all so encouraging, they made sure I would succeed. And here I am.” 

The Future

In 2021 Reynolds Work Study program had about thirty students participating. In 2022 the number dropped to 25. 

Student workers can be used anywhere on campus, but go mainly into Enrollment Services – Advising, Admissions, Registration. They have also been placed in the Writing Studio, Math Central, and most of the other academic departments. 

Most important to note here is that presently the program can accommodate about sixty students each semester. That means about half of this important student support opportunity is going untapped. Since budgeting for the program is based on need, if sixty students were hired into the program it could be expanded even further. 

Like electricity, let's appreciate this old 1960s program while it's still providing light.