Blue Ridge Community College — Local services in Grottoes

Being an over-30 single mom of two, I genuinely believed that it was too late for me to go to college. There was absolutely no way that I could afford it and I barely had any time to myself, much less for classes. THEN the pandemic hit, and I found myself out of a job because everything had gotten shut down. I was encouraged by a social worker to go apply for classes at BRCC. Thanks to the efforts of the financial aid department, admissions department, advisors, and staff at BRCC, I'm about to receive my degree, that which I never thought was possible. Everyone worked with me, every step of the way through my education, helping me get over every hurdle and even provided counseling services for when I got overwhelmed. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was to get through everything, but everyone at BRCC made things so easy for me and I can't even express how incredibly grateful I am. They've given me an opportunity to prove to myself that I can accomplish any goal, they pushed me to being a better version of myself, and have helped me achieve the opportunity for a better future....

It took me a really long time to decide to finally return to school. As a 27 year old first year undergrad, I likely don't have as much knowledge as my peers do about BRCC. From what I know, however, this place is great. All of the instructors I have met are well educated on what they are teaching as well as being compassionate with their students. The student body as a collective is warm and welcoming. Ranging from fresh from high school to nearly elderly, the points of view on campus are so diverse that anywhere else it would be Bedlam. It isn't. It's refreshing and positive. I dropped out of National College about three weeks into my first semester because of all the stress and negativity. It wasn't worth my peace of mind to try to carry on there and I wasn't learning anything anyway. Just under a decade later, I couldn't be happier with...

I went back to school after getting a Masters to do what I love most: work with animals. I got my vet tech degree in 1995, and though retired now, those were the best years of my life! A great community! Recently moved back to the Valley, and live in Staunton. This beautiful area made a great...