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Dr. Matteel D. Jones believes you have to get personal before you can get real about change. The keynote speaker for the New Directions in Student Development Conference at �鶹��Ƶ on March 1 asked the educators in attendance each to identify their personal “ouch” ― that internal tipping point that finally puts one on the path toward transformation. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Jones today is vice president for student services at Greenville Technical College. For Jones, her obesity was one “ouch” that was exacerbated by divorce and a spiritual awakening. These combined to put her on the path to her own transformation.

As superintendent of the 89th Operations Group, 1st Airlift Squadron, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Stephanie Patterson is proud of her place on the continuum of African-American military achievement. From humble beginnings, the Abbeville native ascended to the highest enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, providing executive airlift to world leaders. The senior enlisted aviator shared her experiences with dozens gathered in the �鶹��Ƶ Library on Feb. 27 in commemoration of Black History Month.

Students from �鶹��Ƶ’s Diversified Agriculture Program visited the SC State House in Columbia on Feb. 21, 2018, to participate in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) State Legislators Appreciation Day.

�鶹��Ƶ (�鶹��Ƶ) on Feb. 22 held a special information session for students interested in a new apprenticeship program with BMW Manufacturing in the Upstate.

Three �鶹��Ƶ associates were honored as Outstanding Educators for the 2017-2018 academic year at the annual South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) convention, held Feb. 15-17, 2018, in Myrtle Beach.

An Abbeville native, Chief Master Sergeant Stephanie Patterson will share her insights as an accomplished African-American woman in the U.S. military as part of �鶹��Ƶ’s Black History Month celebration on February 27 at 1 p.m. in the �鶹��Ƶ Library on the Lex Walters Campus-Greenwood.

�鶹��Ƶ's cardiovascular technology program is joining with Self Regional Healthcare to sponsor a community heart health event.

Ultimately, Megan Deason is interested in becoming a nurse. But in the meantime, she sees the Patient Care Technician program at �鶹��Ƶ as a way to get to work in a hospital environment more quickly—and to start developing some of the knowledge she’ll need when she decides to go on.

After an eight-year stint in the Navy, Sandy Webb worked as a machine operator at Avery Dennison for 22 years until the unthinkable happened.