News

The path to a dream job for Kerri Payne began in the unlikeliest of places — a classroom. That’s where Payne and her Virginia Peninsula Community College classmates worked on a group project exploring their passion for graphic design. Payne also learned of an internship during the class assignment and a life-changing opportunity arose. Today she’s enjoying her role as a marketing graphic artist at Universal Solutions International (USI) having started the...

Ethan Wunibald is anticipating his upcoming visit to Virginia Peninsula Community College. The 2022 graduate is eager to engage with STEM students. He is set to speak at a Science Club meeting in September. His motivation stems from his experiences as a curious student with many questions about the transfer process and the medical field. "I want to come back and speak because it gives the students another resource, a peer," said Wunibald, who earned an associate degree in science from VPCC....

Virginia Peninsula Community College announced enrollment for its summer session rose by 11%. That is on the heels of an 8% enrollment increase for the 2023-24 academic year and more than a 7% increase for spring 2024 over spring 2023. College President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon expects the trend to continue. “We’re projecting for the fall anywhere between a 2 and 5% increase in our student enrollment,” she said. The College’s completion rate also...

Second-year men’s soccer coach Kevin Darcy has had a few training sessions and scrimmages heading into the season opener Saturday. The scrimmages have been more important because it’s been harder to field a full complement of players in practice because of everyone’s class and work schedules. It’s similar to what he faced one year ago, in the program’s first season. “We haven’t been able to practice the system,”...

Marian Clifton recalls Virginia Peninsula Community College President Dr. Towanna Porter Brannon saying a few years ago the College needs to reach out more to underserved populations. In southeast Newport News, the College is doing just that. “We are really delivering on a promise that Dr. Brannon made when she first came and challenged us to really go back into the community,” said Clifton, a Southeast Newport News Initiative Presidential Fellow and VPCC faculty member....

Virginia Peninsula Community College has selected Chris Harper, a former assistant women’s basketball coach at Christopher Newport University and The Apprentice School, to be its women’s basketball coach. Harper is the athletics director at Peninsula Catholic High School in Newport News and has more than 20 years of high school and college coaching experience. “I think he brings a level of versatility with him being an athletic director, former track athlete,...

The start of fall classes also signals the beginning of fall sports seasons. At Virginia Peninsula Community College, that means athletes are on the soccer fields, volleyball courts, and trails for cross country. Volleyball coach Tommy Thomas is beginning his second season with the program and is excited about the team. He had seven players on hand for the first practice of the season Aug. 5 at the Coastal Hampton Roads Sportsplex on Patrick Henry Drive in Newport News but is expecting more....

The inaugural season of cross country at Virginia Peninsula Community College will consist of five meets. For the first season of outdoor track and field, which was held in the spring, there were four events. Andres McIntyre, who coaches both sports, likes that progression. “(It’s) doing those little things to keep making noise and having to lay down the foundation,” he said. “The highlight of the schedule is getting them, once again, exposed to a new...

Virginia Peninsula Community College recognized 19 students July 25 for completing the Summer College Experience, a five-week program for Hampton high school students to earn college credits. The students, rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, represented all four City of Hampton High Schools: Bethel, Hampton, Kecoughtan and Phoebus. Students studied oceanography, meteorology, geology and more. The experience, a collaboration between the College and Hampton City Schools, included classroom...

Teamwork made Virginia Peninsula Community College’s third annual One Stop event July 25 a huge success, with approximately 125 potential students participating. Athletics director Chris Moore said he received great feedback from students, parents and College staff. The event, which was held in Kecoughtan Hall, allowed potential students to finalize their enrollment process in one location and in one afternoon. Previous One Stop events were exclusively for athletes. However, this...

The stars aligned perfectly for Kolby Hoge just after college graduation. He received a degree in Graphic and Media Design from Virginia Peninsula Community College in May then started a highly competitive internship about three weeks later. This opportunity is a huge step for Hoge, who wants a career in the entertainment industry. His internship at WSKY (SKY 4) involves creating digital ads and assisting with producing commercials. For him, the hands-on experience is the most exciting part....

Virginia Peninsula Community College is partnering with Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake (IECC) to offer a four-year apprenticeship program beginning in late 2024 or early 2025. The program, designed to expand job opportunities, will lead to an accredited journeyworker’s license for electricians. Apprentices will work full time and attend classes two nights a week for the 8,000 hours of on-the-job and classroom training required for the license. The curriculum is...

Virginia Peninsula Community College and the Greater Williamsburg Movement held an information session Saturday, July 20, at the College’s Trades Center in Toano. Above, Charlie Williams (right), the initiative manager for the Greater Williamsburg Movement’s Project InSPire, talks with a potential student and his father at the event. Williams’ group provided a box lunch. Eddie Swain, director of operations for Workforce Development at the College, gave a...

As hurricane season lasts through Nov. 30, it's crucial to be prepared. Emergency officials emphasize that readiness can increase survival chances, save lives, and speed up recovery efforts. Here's how you can stay safe: Personal and Family  1. Create a family plan: Ensure you have an emergency kit with supplies for three to seven days, including          food, water, blankets, fuel, medicines, pet supplies, and cash. 2. Secure your home:...

Virginia Peninsula Community College athletics is holding its third annual One Stop event Thursday, July 25, from noon-4 p.m. in Kecoughtan Hall. The event will allow potential student-athletes to finalize their enrollment process in one location and in one afternoon. In addition, VPCC is partnering this year with the What’s Next program, which assists community members interested in learning a skilled trades. “It’s a good way to capture potential students who...

Virginia Peninsula Community College partnered with the Greater Williamsburg Movement numerous times last summer for workforce information sessions. Things went so well they are teaming up again. This time it’s for an 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. lunch-and-learn session Saturday, July 20, at the VPCC’s Trades Center in Toano. The focus is on marine skilled trades, manufacturing trades, transportation (CDL), allied health, and information technology (cybersecurity). Charlie Williams,...

Education changed the game for Angelo Maker. Overcoming trials that might have broken some people, he is determined to make a difference by opening doors for others.   Maker graduated from Virginia Peninsula Community College in 2005. Today he’s the executive director of the Abukloi Foundation, an international nonprofit organization set on creating and supporting schools in his native South Sudan. His path from being one of the Lost Boys of Sudan to becoming a source of...

In 14 years as a Virginia Peninsula Community College faculty member, Michelle Alexander has discovered two passions: teaching and her students. However, for the past few years, she also has been thinking about the next step in her career. Her new role as dean of the Public Safety, Allied Health, and Human Services (PSAHHS) division at the College involves all of that. And while she won’t be teaching, students still will be a big part of her responsibilities. “I feel like...