News

Virginia Peninsula Community College participated in the Hampton Comicon last weekend, handing out an event-specific comic book. The Feb. 22 event ran 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Hampton Convention Center. The comic book, “Gillie the Gator – Journey into the Future,” was written and drawn by Marketing Director Eric Pesola. The book reveals the origins of the College’s mascot and his adventures along the way. It was the first time VPCC has been a...

Virginia Peninsula Community College unveiled a new athletics logo at Saturday's men's basketball game, continuing the rebranding efforts at the College. The Gator remains the mascot, but the artwork was updated with a more refined and distinct look, while putting the College’s name front and center. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and the rest of the VPCC Gator Family participated in a logo survey last year. Comments from the survey factored into the final logo design. The new...

Liz Rizzatto joined Virginia Peninsula Community College in 2016 as a math instructor assistant in the tutoring department, being assigned a temporary space from the start. That all changed at the beginning of the semester when the College’s tutoring center moved into Room 228B in Kecoughtan Hall, across from  the Military & Veterans Services Center. “Now, we have our own space,” said Rizzatto, who now is VPCC’s tutoring coordinator. The...

As an avid sports fan and a former volleyball player and cross country runner, Virginia Peninsula Community College President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon has long advocated the benefits of athletics. She approaches the athletics programs at the College the same way she does Phi Theta Kappa (an honor society), Student Government Association or Student Ambassadors. “It is a student leadership development initiative, and I don't think it gets the attention or gets the same credit as...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team opened the home portion of its schedule by dropping a doubleheader (2-0 and 11-5) to the College of Southern Maryland on Feb. 9. The games were played at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton. In the opener, starting pitcher Zack Easton (Hermitage High School/Richmond) had a strong out for the Gators (0-3) but suffered the loss. He went five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) and two hits. He struck out three. The Gators had just four...

It was easy to overlook Elle Hill and Breyana Harris at last month’s ribbon-cutting for the Newport News Early Childhood Development Center. In a room filled with dignitaries from Virginia Peninsula Community College, the Peake Childhood Center and the City of Newport News, they sat in the last row. However, the ceremony was as much about them as it was about others. Hill and Harris are among those enrolled in VPCC’s Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Development,...

Ambidextrous pitchers, those who can throw left-handed and right-handed, are rare and usually trace their talent to a childhood injury. Not so for Virginia Peninsula Community College’s Zack Easton, although he did break the pinky finger on his right hand as a youth. While he didn’t say he was naturally right-handed, he did most things on that side as a child, except for throwing a football. “We always used to play football in elementary school, and I always...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team, after its first six scheduled games were canceled because of weather, finally opened the season Feb. 2 at Bryant & Stratton. Unfortunately, the result was a 5-3 loss. After falling behind 3-0 after four innings, the Gators tied the game with one run in the sixth inning and two in the seventh. Justin Bryson (Arbor View High School/Las Vegas) drove in Austin Smith (Creekside/Georgia) in the sixth with a single. In the seventh, the...

Rochelle Pleasant has devoted decades to early childhood education, wearing many hats along the way. From her role as an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Peninsula Community College to serving as a passionate mentor and advocate, she has built an impressive career. Pleasant has worked steadily since entering the field with diverse experience that includes everything from childcare assistant and center director to writing grants and conducting training here and abroad. She has no plans to...

Chris Moore recalls being limited to 30 minutes a day for video games when he was a child. Now, as the athletics director at Virginia Peninsula Community College, he has added gaming as a sport and will be helping recruit students to fill out the team, many of whom spend much more than 30 minutes a day in front of their consoles. “I tell parents all the time (gaming) can actually help them matriculate through college. If it pays for a scholarship, let them keep doing it,”...

With its involvement in the Newport News Early Childhood Development Center, Virginia Peninsula Community College continues efforts to reach out to residents in the city’s southeast section. The project, a collaboration among the College, the Peake Childhood Center and the City of Newport News, was more than two years in the making. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Jan. 16. at the facility at 1500 Jefferson Ave. “This moment marks an incredible significant step forward...

Photo: College President Brannon is flanked by Truist Bank executives, Michael Glover (vice president commercial banker Virginia region), Thomas Ransom (Virginia region president) and Mark Johnson (senior vice president, community development manager).  Virginia Peninsula Community College welcomed Truist Bank officials to the Hampton Campus on Jan. 23 for the presentation of a $50,000 contribution and an informative discussion aimed at inspiring students to achieve financial success...

Virginia Peninsula Community College welcomed Truist Bank officials to the Hampton Campus on Jan. 23 for the presentation of a $50,000 contribution and an informative discussion aimed at inspiring students to achieve financial success and other goals.      Thomas Ransom, president of Truist Bank’s Virginia region, accompanied by Truist executives, Michael Glover and Mark Johnson, presented the generous check to VPCC President Towuanna...

Virginia Peninsula Community College is excited to present The Homage Exhibit on Feb. 5 at the Historic Triangle Campus in Williamsburg and Feb. 6 at the Hampton Campus. Free and open to the public, the exhibit runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 110 at the Historic Triangle (4601 Opportunity Way) and the Peninsula Workforce Development Center in Hampton (600 Butler Farm Rd.).  The Homage Exhibit showcases more than 650 items from the private collection of Nia and Morris McAdoo of North...

Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball coach Shane Harrison said the success of the 2025 season will come down to numbers, and he likes his numbers. “We're looking at 35 or 36 guys, which is up nine or 10 guys from last year, which is huge for having backups and subs,” Harrison said on the eve of his third season in charge. “Our strength comes in numbers.” He likes his starting nine, the next nine and the nine after that....

The Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s basketball team’s four-game winning streak ended Saturday, Jan. 18, with a 73-68 loss at Patrick & Henry Community College. The Gators (11-5 overall, 3-1 in Region 10) held a 38-30 halftime lead, but an injury and an illness caught up with them in the second half. They played without forward Keshaun Johnson (Nansemond River High School/Suffolk), who was sick, and D’Cameron Haynes (Munford/Memphis,Tenn.), who...

When Virginia Peninsula Community College men's basketball team defeated Sandhills Community College, the third-ranked team in NJCAA Division III, on Jan. 13, it was regarded as an upset. But not to Gators coach Chris Moore, who said on the eve of the game he had a good feeling about his team’s chances. “I always trust our training,” he said one day after his team’s historic 102-96 victory. The Gators were 7-4, including a three-game losing streak, in...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College men's basketball team, which had been off since Dec. 20, finally returned to the court. The long rest didn’t adversely affect the Gators, as they rolled to a 99-66 victory over Oxford College of Emory University (Ga.) on Sunday, Jan. 12., their first game in more than 20 days. Sincere Moore (Matoaca High School in Chesterfield) had 22 points and five steals for the Gators, who improved to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in Region 10. It was...