April 2023

Power Line Worker Training Program Hits Milestone with 500th Graduate

Southside Virginia Community College is proud to announce that its Power Line Worker Training Program celebrated its 500th graduate during a graduation ceremony that was held at Pickett Park inside Fort Barfoot in Blackstone. We were excited to have the new Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, Dr. David Doré in attendance.

SVCC Foundation Scholarship Celebration

The SVCC Foundation hosted an event to celebrate the donors that make named scholarships available for students in need. Scholarship recipients and donors both attended the event that was held in the new Student Services Center on the Christanna Campus in Alberta. A big thank you goes out to SVCC Instructor, Lisa Back, for her passionate speech about the impact scholarships provided by the SVCC Foundation have on our students.

17th Annual Chancellors's Award for

Leadership In Philanthropy

Nominated by Southside Virginia Community College, Sylvia and Bill Solari received the 17th Annual Chancellor's Award for Leadership in Philanthropy for their generous contribution to the SVCC Foundation. READ MORE

Pictured (L to R): VCCS Chancellor Dr. David Doré , SVCC Foundation Board Member Robert Vaughn, award recipients Bill and Sylvia Solari, SVCC President Dr. Quentin R. Johnson and SVCC Foundation Vice-Chair Carthan Currin.

Breaking the Mold 2023

Success really does start at Southside Virginia Community College! The students and graduates featured in this video show how they are "breaking the mold" in the career fields they are pursuing. To view the video, click on the image below. #SVCCPanthers #SuccessStartsHere

SVCC Diesel Tech Alum - Austin Geesaman

By: Kate E. Tharpe, Career Coach

When I was asked to write a success story on a previous student, there is one student who instantly came to mind, Austin Geesaman. Austin worked hard all throughout high school while being involved in FFA. He worked as a farm manager his senior year and had his own family farm to work on as well. The first time I talked to Austin he knew that he wanted to pursue a career as a diesel technician. Growing up, Austin took a quick interest in taking equipment apart and putting it back together to discover how it worked. There was always farm equipment for him to practice on and his love for mechanics continued to grow. Following his graduation from Randolph-Henry High School in 2019, Austin attended the diesel technician program at SVCC. The diesel technician program helped Austin learn more about the electronics used in todays diesel equipment as well as reassured him that he was in the right field. Once he graduated from SVCC, Austin started his career as a diesel technician at James River Equipment in Burkville, where he still works today. Austin now has a farm of his own with his wife and daughter in Cullen, VA. It was an honor working with Austin while he was in high school, and now it is a joy seeing how he is succeeding in life with his beautiful family.

Dr. Quentin R. Johnson SVCC President

Community College Connections

Five Hundred and Counting

Jacob Belcher, a recent graduate, explains why he chose the Power Line Worker Training program, “I wanted to begin a career that would set up my future, and going through the Power Line Worker program is the doorway to beginning that career.”

To date, 95% of the graduates have been initially employed by 71 different companies. They have come from 56 counties and 13 cities across the Commonwealth. Overwhelmingly, these program completers stay in Virginia to live, work, and pay taxes.

What's Going On With SVCC Alumni?

Panthers are Everywhere!

Paw the button to view exciting news about what our alumni have been doing, like Vegas Curry and Nellie Parrish.

With the help of students and employees, the SVCC Foundation raised $1000 for the SVCC Student Emergency Fund. Those who donated could choose a SVCC administrator to get "pied" at the end of the week, and Dr. Daryl Minus and Dr. Chad Patton were the winners!

#PanthersHelpingPanthers