Ride Along with Reynolds -- June 2024
Ride Along with Reynolds, a series about where the college is heading, who's joining us for the ride, and why it matters for our students and the community.
Join us for the latest episode of “Ride Along With Reynolds” as we celebrate the extraordinary Class of 2024, mark an important milestone in our Toyota T-TEN program, and welcome thousands of scholars for summer classes.
Transcript
Hi, I’m President Paula Pando, inviting you to Ride Along with Reynolds—a regular update on where the college is heading, who’s joining us for the journey, and why it matters for our students and community.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The pomp, the circumstance, the celebration! And boy, did we have a lot to celebrate at the 51st Commencement of Reynolds Community College. I call the Class of 2024 extraordinary, because they truly are.
Who is the Class of 2024? They are 1,661 students reaching the finish line. They range in age from 15 to 70. Among them are 254 students earning a college degree while still in high school.
Hundreds of graduates are transferring to pursue a baccalaureate degree with junior standing, and many are entering the workforce directly as nurses, welders, automotive technicians, respiratory therapists, and early childhood educators—to name a few. They are individuals balancing lives full of responsibility while pursuing their education.
Among our extraordinary graduates are three special siblings, all graduating together. The Inocencios—Jacob, Noah, and Kylie—had triple the reasons to celebrate and truly embody the positive impact community colleges make on families and communities.
Jacob began his journey at Reynolds by earning credentials in the skilled trades and a Commercial Driver’s License. Aspiring to start his own business, he went on to earn an associate degree in Business Administration. Little brother Noah took the traditional route, enrolling at Reynolds right after high school and also earning an associate degree in Business Administration. Their youngest sibling, Kylie, at just 15 years old, earned a Career Studies Certificate in Early Childhood Education.
Kudos to the Inocencios and all the graduates of the Class of 2024. Oh, the places you’ll go!
Sticking with celebrations, we were thrilled to be officially accredited by Toyota North America as a T-TEN school, offering one of the most rigorous and recognized technician training programs in the automotive field. The T-TEN program, alongside our general automotive program, is taught by dedicated faculty in our state-of-the-art 14,000-square-foot automotive technology center.
This facility features 12 bays, advanced equipment, and late-model vehicles to facilitate hands-on learning. Our T-TEN program directly benefits local dealerships eager to hire certified master technicians ready to work on day one.
Finally, a special shout-out to the nearly 4,000 students seizing the opportunity to further their education this summer. These students include current Reynolds students, as well as those from colleges and universities across the country who are returning home for the summer and taking classes with us to advance toward their baccalaureate degrees.
With new summer classes starting on June 11 and June 26, it’s not too late to enroll!
Thank you for riding along with us this month. Your encouragement and commitment to this special institution mean so much to all of us. See you next month!