Stories

Jonah Cooley overcame a speech impediment by watching the evening news on television and modeling his enunciation after the anchors and reporters. Nowadays, the Abbeville High School graduate speaks in a smooth baritone and can clearly articulate his plans for the future. “I’m majoring in political science and then I’m planning to go to law school and become a government lawyer,” he said. He’ll be...

As students returned Monday for the first day of fall classes, Piedmont Technical College (PTC) President Dr. Hope E. Rivers revealed the name of the new PTC mascot: Blaze the Phoenix. “Blaze isn’t just a name; it’s a powerful symbol of action each of us can take as a Phoenix,” said Rivers as she stood next to the mascot outside the Student Center on the Greenwood campus. “Just as a single spark...

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Mount Olive (UMO) through the UMO Promise program, offering significant educational advancement opportunities for PTC students. This partnership enables PTC students who earn an associate of diversified agriculture and horticulture technology degree to seamlessly transfer to UMO to pursue a bachelor’s...

Kristy Patrick admits she isn’t what people think of as a typical building construction student, but that didn’t stop her from enrolling in Piedmont Technical College’s Building Construction Technology program. Her determination and “can-do” attitude propelled her to graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and to begin a new job a week after graduation. Patrick says she was a stay-at-home mother...

A career in aerospace engineering can often mean several years of higher education, but Jeremy Glasgow caught an early flight, so to speak. “I was really interested in cutting down my time in college because I want to get my master’s eventually,” Glasgow said. That’s why he joined the Dual Enrollment program at Piedmont Technical College. Dual Enrollment is an advanced-credit program for high...

AP courses are often thought of as the only way for high school students to earn college credit. Alexia Johnson discovered a life hack through Piedmont Technical College’s Dual Enrollment program. “I was able to get the college credit, plus my family is saving money,” said Johnson, a summa cum laude graduate of Laurens District 55 High School. Thanks to Dual Enrollment, she’ll be heading to...

Emily Galloway, a horticulture major and student leader at Piedmont Technical College (PTC), has been selected for the 2024 All-USA Academic Team. Galloway is one of only 20 students nationwide to receive this honor, selected from a competitive pool of over 2,300 applicants from 1,300 technical and community colleges nationwide. She is the first student from South Carolina to receive the award in...

In describing his future, Fernando Reyes talks a lot about passion and drive. It’s one of the reasons he chose Dual Enrollment at Piedmont Technical College. “I wanted to get ahead of my peers,” he said. “This summer, I will be certified to be a pharmacy technician. Becoming a pharmacist is a personal drive.” After seeing his mom, aunt, and grandmother cope with health issues, Reyes says he became...

Emily Owens, a Piedmont Technical College senior from Greenwood, says she was unaware of all the opportunities at her hometown college. At PTC, she found direction and a major she loves, commercial art, focusing on advertising design and photography. As one of PTC’s Presidential Ambassadors, Owens likes nothing more than telling prospective students about what the college and the commercial art...