Reynolds Community College Honors Pupil Grace Swal Is I Of X Inwards

Reynolds 2018 Valley Proteins Fellow:
Grace Swal is One of Ten.

Angela Graves was i of 10 inwards 2016. Donald Cooper was i of 10 inwards 2017. Now, Reynolds Community College Honors educatee Grace Swal is i of 10 inwards 2018. For the 3rd consecutive twelvemonth a Reynolds educatee has been chosen to survive a Valley Proteins Fellow. Of the to a greater extent than than 250,000 students served past times Virginia Community Colleges each year, solely 10 second-year students are selected for the prestigious Valley Proteins Fellowship Program administered past times the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. 

“I failed the source fourth dimension out,” Grace Swal says candidly close her source endeavor at college 10 years ago. “This is my minute chance.” And, what a minute adventure it is for her. Grace was accepted into the Reynolds Honors program, has maintained a 4.0 marking betoken average during her fourth dimension at Reynolds, together with straight off inwards her minute twelvemonth has been selected every bit a Valley Proteins Fellow. Perhaps what Grace views every bit a failure is at the root of her amazing success. 

What was dissimilar on Grace’s minute attempt at college? First, Grace was different. And, second, the college she chose was different. “My experience at Reynolds has been amazing from the git-go,” Grace said. She credits the Reynolds Honors programme together with Professor Ashley Bourne-Richardson amongst helping her prepare the confidence together with maturity she needed to pursue her dreams. “The Honors programme has made all the deviation for me. It gave me the chance to explore my options. It challenged me inwards ways I never expected. It made me realize I could shoot higher.”

Shooting higher has go Grace’s mantra: “I don’t simply desire to survive inwards the field. I desire to survive an proficient inwards the field,” she repeats this often together with without hesitation. Her “field” when she graduates from Reynolds volition survive Business Administration together with Social Sciences. Her “field” when she goes for her bachelor’s degree, together with therefore her master’s degree, together with ultimately her doctorate, is Public Administration together with Gender Studies. Her listing of four-year colleges is long together with includes the overstep institutions. Harvard? “Why not,” she asks, “the worst they tin create is say no.” 

“Being chosen every bit a Valley Proteins Fellow is incredible. It volition plough over me an chance to essay myself every bit a leader together with to prepare my networking skills. My destination is to hit the noesis together with confidence to survive an expert, to survive able to facial expression simply about other professional person inwards the eye, stand upward my the world together with experience comfortable leading discussions together with sharing information inwards my field.”

The Valley Proteins Fellows programme is made possible past times the generous back upward of Valley Proteins, Inc., a Winchester-based rendering concern operating for over 68 years amongst xv plants inwards 8 states. Valley Proteins administration is committed to outstanding corporate citizenship, fantabulous client service, technological excogitation together with back upward for the community college mission. 
President of Valley Proteins, Inc. Gerald Smith, Jr., said, “My blood brother together with I are pleased to back upward the Valley Proteins Fellows programme because it provides us amongst the chance to prepare a to a greater extent than educated together with competitive Virginia.”

The meat mission of the Valley Proteins Fellows Program is helping promising, second-year students at Virginia’s community colleges pursue their academic goals together with strengthen their leadership skills. The scholarship, combined amongst professional person development, travel, together with cultural opportunities, has an guess value of $15,000. Fellows have sum tuition, mass expenses together with fees, together with participate inwards a unique curriculum of intellectual together with cultural activities. They likewise volunteer eighty hours of community service during the academic twelvemonth to strengthen their leadership skills together with prepare a potent foundation for time to come success. Fellows are required to keep a minimum 3.5 marking betoken average. 

Congratulations to Grace Swal. Keep shooting higher.


J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College is the youngest together with 3rd largest of 23 community colleges inwards Virginia together with serves over 16,000 students annually. The College operates 3 campuses easily accessible to residents inwards the City of Richmond together with the counties of Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan together with Louisa.