The air inwards the Lipman Auditorium volition endure filled alongside excitement on Friday, May xiii every bit the members of the PAVE Class of 2016 are honored.
The entirely 1 of its variety inwards the state of Virginia, Reynolds Program for Adults inwards Vocational Education (PAVE) is a two-year vocational grooming plan which serves students alongside intellectual, physical, emotional, together with learning disabilities.
PAVE provides students alongside tools to acquire independent back upward professionals. Students may earn career studies certificates inwards Child Care Assistant, Clerical Assistant, Healthcare Assistant, together with Food Service Assistant. The students locomote independently through an unpaid, coordinated internship afterwards completing academic, professional person together with social skills grooming inwards the classroom.
This year’s PAVE course of written report of 10 earned 4 Clerical Assistant Career Studies Certificates, 4 Food Service Assistant Career Studies Certificates, together with 2 Child Care Assistant Career Certificates.
Anthony (AJ) Saunders is 1 of the 4 students earning a Clerical Assistant Career Studies Certificate. AJ struggled through unproblematic together with middle school. It was entirely when he enrolled inwards Lord Botetourt High School at the initiatory of all of his junior twelvemonth of high schoolhouse that things began to alter for the better. This school, dissimilar others he attended, embraced AJ together with his autistic blood brother Brandon. AJ in conclusion understood that although he learned differently than other students, at that topographic point were no limits to what he could accomplish. Beyond learning, he made friends, participated inwards schoolhouse activities, together with joined educatee organizations. All of his teachers saw how difficult he worked inwards course of written report together with admired the test he set forth.
As for academic achievement, despite his advisor’s recommendation that AJ laid upward a destination to graduate alongside a modified measure diploma because of dubiousness he could transcend the SOLs, AJ was determined to earn a measure diploma. He took together with retook his SOLs until he passed them all together with earned the measure diploma.
After high schoolhouse AJ worked at Goodwill Industries together with Bojangles, merely his dream was to attend college. He applied to Western Community College merely was unable to transcend the entrance exam. A friend of his grandmother learned of the PAVE plan at Reynolds. He applied, was accepted together with the residual is history.
AJ has been on the Dean’s List piece inwards PAVE, the President’s Honor Roll, together with was the recipient of the John Augustine Boothe Memorial/PAVE Scholarship. He was also awarded for service excellence past times Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital piece inwards his internship.
What’s adjacent for AJ? As a resultant of his internship at St. Mary’s Hospital he has been encouraged to apply for a summertime seat every bit a Patient Service Representative. In the autumn he hopes to convey around courses at Reynolds inwards hopes of pursing a marker inwards Business Administration. If the past times is whatever indication he sure as shooting has the decision together with the drive to seat his goals.
Congratulations to all the PAVE graduates!