Rappahannock Community College recently issued the following announcement.
VCU Honors Student Gets Start at RCC and Through Support of the SSS Program
Dristin Jackson says it was a combination of luck and opportunity that landed him at Rappahannock Community College (RCC). Not feeling ready to tackle the changes and expense of heading off to a four-year college, he wanted to attend a community college. Jackson’s family moved to Middlesex County after he graduated from high school. RCC’s campus at Glenns provided him the opportunity to begin college, discover what he wanted to do, and save money.
Jackson participated in TRiO’s Student Support Services program. SSS serves students who are first-generation college attendees, have a disability, or are income eligible. The program helps students successfully navigate the college experience through optional services such as counseling, tutoring, advising, events, financial aid applications, and more. Jackson says his SSS counselor helped make his transition to RCC pleasant and eased his worries about the future. “SSS was a really nice support system for me and helped me take advantage of great opportunities,” said Jackson.
“RCC has a great pace, you don’t have to feel like you’re in constant competition with people around you. It has great teachers like at a large university without having to share one with 700 other people,” Jackson commented. “Professor (Charles) Crook will have an everlasting impact on me. He nurtured my love for physics,” he added.
Jackson’s hard work paid off as he graduated from RCC with honors and was named RCC’s representative to the Phi Theta Kappa All-State Academic Team. He transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University where he is an honors student on the pre-med track majoring in physics.
Jackson also found time to have some fun while at RCC. “After classes I would play ping pong in the student lounge with my brother. A role-playing club had their meetings in the lounge and it was fun to see them having a good time and being a community,” he said.
“RCC gives people a place to learn. But it also helps to create a community of like-minded, goal-oriented students who want to create something more for themselves,” said Jackson. “I take a lot of pride in knowing that I am capable of doing a lot more than I originally thought.”
The TRiO Student Support Services program at RCC invites students to participate. For more information, email Lorraine Justice at ljustice@rappahannock.edu or call 804-333-6737.
Original source can be found here.
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