Ride Along with Reynolds -- April 2025

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.

In this episode of Ride Along With Reynolds, we thanked employer partners in our School of Business & Industrial Trades, celebrated new PTK Honor Society inductees and an award-winning student, and were proud participants in this year's Teen RVA Summit.

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.

Richmond, are you feeling as pollen-packed as I am? It’s hard to believe, but we’re already in the home stretch of the spring semester at Reynolds, and we’ve packed a lot in.

We’ve been celebrating our incredible employer partners, recognizing our outstanding students, and lifting up the voices of young people across the region.

Over at The Kitchens at Reynolds in Church Hill, our School of Business and Industrial Trades hosted an appreciation breakfast to thank the folks who helped make work-based learning possible. More than 40 employer partners joined us for a morning of delicious food — beautifully prepared and served by our talented culinary and pastry arts students — and a student showcase that highlighted the real impact of their support.

These partnerships are a big deal. They help our students earn while they learn, so they don’t have to juggle multiple jobs while trying to stay in school. Just as important, they give our students a chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and graduate ready to hit the ground running.

Our partners also help shape what we teach, making sure we stay current with what today’s workforce needs.

Back on our Parham Road Campus, we had the joy of welcoming 41 students into our Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. PTK recognizes academic excellence in two-year colleges and opens doors for students to grow as leaders and scholars.

A standout moment from this semester’s induction was hearing that Reynolds student Sydney King was named Virginia’s recipient of the New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship. This national award recognizes just one high-achieving community college student from each state — and Sydney earned that honor out of more than 2,100 applicants from 1,300 community colleges across the country. Sydney, we are so proud of you.

Reynolds was also proud to be part of this year’s Teen RVA Summit at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The summit gives high school students a space to speak up, connect, and lead conversations about preventing violence and supporting well-being in their schools and communities.

A special shout-out to Davian Washington, one of our Reynolds Early College Academy students and a senior at Richmond Community High School. Davian helped organize the entire event as part of the Richmond Youth Advisory Council. Talk about leadership in action!

Before I let you go, a quick reminder to mark your calendars for our second annual Give Day on April 23. Your support helps us invest in our students, prepare them for meaningful careers, and strengthen the fabric of our community.

Thanks for riding along with us. As always, we’re grateful for your support and belief in Reynolds and the students we proudly serve. Until next time.