Our Alumni

When talking about college and career readiness to her students at Robert Anderson Middle School, Danae Gaines Acker reflects on her educational and professional journey—to emphasize how varied experiences can lead to continuous learning.

For six years, the Technical Career Pathways (TCP) program has remained dedicated to its original goal—to develop a pipeline of individuals who are skilled and ready to fill in-demand jobs at manufacturing facilities across the Upstate.

Denise Bailey received Tri-County Technical College’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award at the College’s spring commencement May 7 at Littlejohn Coliseum. 

Two years ago, 18-year-old D.W. Daniel High School honor student Aidan Bish had multiple admissions offers to study electrical engineering at prestigious colleges across the Southeast.

As a two-year breast cancer survivor, Lynn Bonner has learned how to appreciate every moment in life.

Kellie Smith Boone Honored with Tri-County’s Distinguished Alumni Award

Nineteen years ago Kellie Smith Boone walked across the stage at the Anderson Civic Center and received her associate in arts degree at Tri-County Technical College’s spring commencement.

Richard and Tina Burton had always given to the TCTC Foundation and were proud to support various programs and scholarships at their alma mater. The couple are both employed at TCTC - Tina is recruitment support specialist and campus visit coordinator for the College’s Recruitment, Admissions and Orientation department, and Richard is program director for Mechatronics.  

As an alumna and longtime staff member at Anderson University (AU), Andria Carpenter is a diehard Trojan, both professionally and personally.

The very day that he received his GED, Dustin David headed to Tri-County Technical College to enroll in welding courses.

Every day Corporal Jesus De Luna Soto of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office strives to make a difference in the lives of the students attending Seneca Middle School

When Ryan Donald entered Tri-County Technical College straight out of Seneca High School in 1989, he knew it was his best educational choice but he had no idea the kind of lifelong career opportunities his two-year degree would afford him.

Department Head for Comprehensive Studies, Academic and Career Foundations Division & Program Director for the College, Career, and Life Skills 

When Vivien Felarca graduated from T.L. Hanna High School in 2013 she admits she wasn’t academically or emotionally ready for college. 

In 2008, at age 44, Mark Franks says he never dreamed he would be a full-time student, mastering subjects he previously feared, like math and computers. 

"My degree changed my life. "Today, when displaced workers visit the office and question whether they can return, I tell them that college is the answer to their situation. I encourage those with the opportunity to take it,” she said.

There are times when Henry Johnson still has to stop, take a breath and express gratitude for the new life he built for himself and his family over the past few years.

As Senior Associate Development Specialist at Robert Bosch LLC, Nick Johnson lives for those “aha” experiences in the classroom—those magical light-bulb moments when an associate understands a concept, a skill, a strategy or a new idea.

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Brock Lusk and his wife, Jill, sat down late last year, several months before the loss of his father, and made the decision to endow a scholarship at TCTC. When his father passed away in January, Lt. Col. Lusk decided to endow this scholarship as a way to honor his father while making a huge impact by financially assisting cadets transferring to Clemson University from TCTC.

The smiles on the faces of Mauldin Police Officer Jeanna Martin and her fellow officers rival those of the kids they have been visiting with drive-by birthday parades that serve as substitutions for in-person celebrations during the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place restrictions.

Twenty-one years ago Rhonda Morgan was reading the weekly shoppers guide and spotted an employment advertisement for a victim’s advocate, at the time a new state-mandated position in the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department.

If Amanda Nicks hadn’t met Social Sciences Department Head Stacey Frank—by pure happenstance two years ago—she probably would be beginning a new job as a structural engineer—but she wouldn’t have discovered her passion for psychology and translated it into a lifelong career devoted to people and public service.

In her graduation address to fellow Anderson 1 and 2 Adult Education GED graduates last year, 40-year-old Rachel Ossman read a quote by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale that today serves as her mantra:  “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” 

Seven years ago, Phillips was 25 years old, had completed an eight-year enlistment in the Air Force and was a full-time welding student honing his skills learned in the military and looking forward to finding a job performing the craft he loves.

Eighteen years ago Dr. Valerie Ramsey, then an accountant/fiscal analyst at Clemson University, was asked to deliver the commencement address to Tri-County Technical College's summer graduates

“I am the Business Manager in the College of Education at Clemson University, but I am also enjoying a new role with Tri-County as a part-time instructor teaching business administration courses.  I am a proud Tri-County alumnus three times over.

Deanne Williams never knew her parents.  Both died when she was an infant - their deaths just five months apart.  When she was two months old, her father was killed by a drunk driver while on his way to visit her mother, who was in the hospital in Georgia suffering from brain cancer and a stroke.