Meet Michelle Miles, the WVJC Charleston Campus President!
When you become a WVJC student, you join a network of caring individuals, including the admissions team, academic team, instructors, faculty, career management department, and campus president. Your success team will cheer you on from day one through graduation, and you will have the opportunity to work closely with each WVJC academic team member throughout your education. In this blog, you will have a chance to get to know the leader of the WVJC Charleston team– our campus president, Michelle Miles!
Making A Positive Influence
Michelle has been making a difference in students’ lives for over a decade, beginning in 2012 when she began teaching courses through WVJC Online. In 2015, she became the academic dean at the Charleston campus. She quickly found her work family and was promoted to Charleston campus president later that same year. Since then, Michelle has fostered a collaborative environment for staff working toward helping students achieve their academic goals.
Michelle’s passion for helping others has motivated her to create an environment in which every member of the team is dedicated to their students. “I believe in WVJC’s core values, which focus on a WE CARE approach to education,” she said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with a fantastic staff and faculty who also share a passion for helping people.”
WVJC’s purpose is to empower change by creating opportunity, which benefits students and local employers. One of Michelle’s goals is to expand WVJC Charleston’s allied healthcare programs to meet the community’s needs. “There is such a vast need for healthcare professionals in our community,” she said. “I want to assist employers’ hiring needs by creating new healthcare programs to contribute to long-term success.”
“Working for a smaller institution provides opportunities to work in a close-knit, family environment. Our team works closely together to accomplish our goals,” Michelle said. “I love my WVJC family!”
Life Beyond The Campus
When Michelle is not at the WVJC Charleston campus, she enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs, Brooks and Barkley. She says that her children are her greatest inspiration. “I love watching them grow and learn, and they inspire me to strive for excellence,” she said. Balancing life and career as a working parent can be challenging yet rewarding. “I want to set a positive example for them and let them know the importance of a strong work ethic.”
She says that if she could have a meal with one famous person, she would choose Steve Jobs. His Stanford commencement speech was one of the most influential speeches she had heard in her adult life, and her favorite quote from the speech was:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
–Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Join The WVJC Family!
Michelle Miles is just one of the many dedicated members of the WVJC team. While her role as campus president has many responsibilities, her main duty has always been to students’ success. “WVJC is committed to providing quality education and preparing students for careers,” she said. “My top priority is supporting and empowering our students to reach their full potential. The most rewarding part of my job is watching students succeed!”
She advises someone considering furthering their education that WVJC can be a significant step toward achieving their career and educational goals. “Your education is something that no one can take away from you,” Michelle said.
If you are interested in attending one of WVJC Charleston’s accelerated training programs, take the first step today by calling the campus at 304-769-0011 or requesting information.