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Basketball runs deep in Zariia America’s family. Her father, who is a big fan of the late Kobe Bryant, played in high school, college and on an Air Force team. Her mother played in high school. Her brother, Kobe, was named after Bryant, and plays for Warhill High School. Zariia (pronounced Zar-e-uh), whose favorite player is Bryant, is making a name for herself in her first year on the Virginia Peninsula Community College women’s basketball team. She’s the...

The Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s basketball team snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 86-75 victory over Emory Oxford College on Sunday, Jan. 14. It came one day after a 104-72 loss to Sandhills Community College. Both games were played at the Sandhills campus in Pinehurst, N.C. Against Emory Oxford, the Gators took a 42-35 halftime lead. The advantage dropped to one point before the Gators went on a run to go up by 21. Jaylin Davis led the way with 20 points....

Virginia Peninsula Community College turned to a longtime and well-known Hampton Roads coach, Tommy Thomas, to lead its women’s volleyball program, naming him the head coach. Thomas was the interim coach for the fall 2023 season. He led the Gators to a 3-4 record and a third-place finish in the New South Athletic Conference Invitational in the second year of the program. “It’s a new adventure. My first college position,” Thomas said. Thomas led...

The passion Maurice Rogers brings to his work comes from creativity, self-discovery and continuous growth. His genuine love for his craft shows up daily in his career as a graphic designer and photographer for Hampton City Schools (HCS). “As the saying goes, ‘When you find a career doing something you love, you never work a day in your life.’ I get up with a passion to go to work, and I love my job. I love what I do. I get to create 24/7,” he said....

Despite having a well-known rapper as a father, Tekomin Williams didn’t follow that path. “That’s just not me,” said Williams, who is in his third year on the Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s basketball team. His father, one of the founding members of the hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun, understands. “Me and him talk about it all the time. He can't see himself being a basketball player. I can't see myself being a...

Virginia Peninsula Community College’s men’s basketball team suffered its sixth consecutive loss with a 54-45 defeat Tuesday, Dec. 19, at Chesapeake College in Maryland. The Skipjacks (5-8) led 20-16 at the half and never trailed the final 20 minutes. Chris Hayes led the Gators (4-7) with 14 points. Kenny Page had eight points and nine rebounds. The Gators were outrebounded 53-39, and made just 1 of 20 3-pointers, while Chesapeake went 8 for 26 for long distance....

Workforce shortages and talent gaps are present on the Peninsula and throughout the commonwealth. As one of the leaders in the community, Virginia Peninsula Community College aims to be part of the solution. On Friday, Dec. 15, the College held a seminar called “United for Impact: Bridging Higher Education, Communities and Businesses.” More than 100 people attended, and they represented local businesses, school systems and nonprofits. “As with most challenges, we...

The men’s basketball team dropped two games on the weekend to fall to 4-6, but coach Chris Moore isn’t about to panic. “The one thing I told these guys is we just have to keep getting better,” Moore said after a 76-63 loss to Patrick & Henry Community College on Sunday, Dec. 17. “And we’ve shown progress.” Moore purposely put together a tough schedule at the beginning of the season. “This first half of the...

Twenty-one students from the Historic Triangle cohort participated in the Dec. 5 nursing pinning ceremony at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center in Hampton.

Virginia Peninsula Community College held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, Dec. 11, for its new theater. The roof collapsed on the old theater, the Dr. Mary T. Chrisian Auditorium, in April 2021. No one was injured as the College had been closed because of the pandemic. “This endeavor is more than just a construction project. It’s a commitment to our community’s cultural enrichment and educational excellence,” VPCC President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon...

Virginia Peninsula Community College basketball teams dropped a doubleheader to Frederick Community College of Maryland on Sunday, Dec. 10. The men lost 74-69 in overtime, and the women lost 84-53. In the men’s contest, Kenny Page led the Gators with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Hayes added 12 points and 10 rebounds. D’Cameron Haynes chipped in 11 points, and Chauncey Gilliam had nine rebounds. The Gators have two home games this weekend (Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. vs. Monroe...

Charles Glazener, a member of the Rotary Club of James City County, is blunt when explaining why the organization donates to the Virginia Peninsula Community College Educational Foundation. “Education is the key to the kingdom,” he told nearly 100 donors and recipients in attendance at the College’s annual donor recognition event Nov.14. He knows from firsthand experience. “It happened in my own family,” he said. “My father came from...

John Wyatt described his son as tall, good-looking and a hard worker. “He liked people. He had a good personality,” John said of Mark, who died in an auto accident in 1997 at the age of 28. “He just sometimes didn’t use all his assets to his full advantage.” To help others not fall into the same traps, John and his late wife, Alma, established the Mark Daniel Wyatt Memorial Scholarship. The $1,500 annual scholarship first was awarded in 2014....

Virginia Peninsula Community College was named to the 2023 Best for Vets list by Military Times.          The Times combines public data from the Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs with a survey that each institution receives. The comprehensive survey explores the graduation rate of veterans, how many veterans each college serves, how many are active duty, tuition rates, facilities, and other services or opportunities other...

Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s home basketball game scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3, against Washington Adventist University was postponed. “Our team has come down with a ‘sick bug’ that has taken down the majority,” Gators coach Chris Moore wrote in an email. “Thankfully, only one of them has contacted COVID and he is remaining in quarantine until he is fully cleared.” A makeup date has not been announced, but...