Jennifer Bird – Staff Highlight

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When you walk through the doors at West Virginia Junior College in Cross Lanes, you can always expect a welcoming greeting from the administrative assistant, Jennifer Bird. In 1998, Jennifer graduated from WVJC and earned a diploma in Clerical Word Processing. Jennifer loved her caring instructors and hands-on educational experience. Shortly after graduation, she was contacted about an employment opportunity at WVJC, and she knew it would be a great fit!

Jennifer heard about college classes at WVJC in 1998 from her grandma. She said, “I remember my grandma finding an advertisement in the newspaper for classes at West Virginia Junior College. I made a phone call and completed the admissions process and started classes the next month.”

Jennifer wears many hats as WVJC’s Administrative Assistant. She offers support to students, graduates, staff, and faculty. She said, “I believe in the mission of WVJC and the best part is seeing students graduate and fulfill their dreams.” Jennifer is currently enrolled in the Business Administration degree program through WVJC Online. “I am enjoying my Introduction to Business course and my favorite part is learning how to start a business,” she says.

Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family in her spare time, working on her farm with her many animals, and horseback riding. A fun fact about Jennifer is she has 10 children, 20 dogs, 25 cows, 3 horses, 8 chickens, and 2 cats and she still greets everyone with a smile when they enter WVJC.

To learn more about WVJC, request information here!

Amanda Poling – Nursing Staff Highlight

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Amanda Poling has been employed by WVJC since December 2020 as the Clinical Coordinator for the nursing programs. She is responsible for the clinical side of both nursing programs at the Bridgeport campus. As the clinical coordinator, Amanda is responsible for developing affiliation agreements with various area hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. She ensures all students are compliant with West Virginia Board of Nursing requirements for clinical experience and schedules all clinical assignments for the practical nursing students and registered nursing students. She takes great pride in developing sound clinical experiences for the students and enjoys hearing all the stories students have from the clinical rotations.

When asked what motivates her, she had this to say, “What motivates me is hearing the excitement the students have after a wonderful clinical day. They are able to take the information and knowledge learned in the classroom and apply [it] to real patients. It gives them a sense of accomplishment when they are able to link a concept learned in the classroom to their live patient in the clinical setting.”

Prior to working at WVJC, Amanda wore many hats. She graduated from Alderson Broaddus College in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After completing her nursing degree, she worked as a pediatric oncology nurse, traveled as a pediatric oncology nurse, worked as an outpatient infusion nurse, surgical nurse, and most recently, as an assistant professor of nursing. Amanda continued her education and obtained a Master’s of Business Administration in Healthcare Management Degree in 2016 from Western Governors University, and a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Walden University in 2017. She also recently applied to The University of Southern Mississippi’s doctoral program.

Her favorite part of working for WVJC is watching the students become successful professionals.  She also appreciates the flexibility and the wonderful administration and staff that have the same passion for seeing students succeed.

To learn more about WVJC’s nursing programs, request information here!

Sara Westbrook – Staff Highlight

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Sara Westbrook has been an employee of WVJC since April 2019.  She started as an Online Admissions Advisor where she contacted individuals requesting information on our online programs and guided potential students through the admissions, enrollment, and onboarding processes. Sara enjoyed hearing the stories of the people she supported and found it very rewarding to help people find the path to change their lives.

In October 2020, Sara transitioned into her current role of Admissions Coordinator. In this role, she works tirelessly behind the scenes supporting the Online and Morgantown admissions teams through reporting, tracking, inquiry management, and distribution, clerical support, special projects, creative designs, social media, and much more. She thoroughly enjoys working behind the scenes and supporting the admissions team. She likes the opportunity to get to know all potential and enrolled students and ensure they have everything they need for a successful start.

When asked, “What advice do you have for someone considering attending WVJC?” Sara replied, “The teams you will work with (admissions, financial aid, academic, and career services) are outstanding.  They truly care about their students and want to see them succeed.  You will definitely not feel like a number, and it’s nice to know that the faculty and staff are 100% invested in your success!”

When asked, “What advice do you have for someone considering employment with WVJC?” Sara replied, “You will feel like family from the moment you walk through the door on your first day of work.  I couldn’t ask for a better work family, as some of them have definitely become lifelong friends.”

Sara has grown personally and professionally during the past two years. She emulates our WE CARE core values every day and has proven to be a valuable resource to our staff and students.  We are thrilled to have Sara as a member of the WVJC family.

To learn more about the WVJC admissions team, request information here!

Brittany Remington – Staff Highlight

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“I took this position because I come from a background of encouraging people to reach their full potential. One of my personal goals is to help others overcome challenges. In the position of Director of Career Management, I am able to help students succeed and reach their goals.” – Brittany Remington

As the Director of Career Management at West Virginia Junior College, Brittany Remington assists WVJC students and graduates with employment opportunities. Her role is to develop long-lasting partnerships in our local community while still serving WVJC students. Brittany instructs a Career Preparation course at the end of each student’s program where she assists them in resume building, interview skills, submitting job applications, and continuing to work on their professional communication skills.

When asked what motivates her, she had this to say. “What motivates me is going through the journey with my students and seeing them reach their goal of obtaining their dream careers.”

Prior to working at WVJC, Brittany worked in mental health as a Team Lead Therapist for a school-based partial hospitalization program. She worked closely with high school students to improve their social skills and develop their personal relationships. This path led her to WVJC as a means to work in an environment that would allow her to assist students and graduates in higher education to develop professional relationships. Brittany enjoys the element of career management that allows her to work with local employers and be a liaison between student or graduate and employer.

When asked what her favorite part about working at WVJC is, Brittany said, “Every day is different here! I love the ability to work with such a broad and diverse group of students, graduates, and employers. I like the fact that I am given the opportunity to wear many different hats in my position. On any given day, I can be found working with students, graduates, employers, and leaders in the community. When I am not working with the aforementioned groups of people, you can find me working with faculty and staff developing strategies to provide high-level services for our students and graduates.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the career services that WVJC offers students and graduates, request information here!

Christina Hayslett – Staff Highlight

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Christina Hayslett is a Financial Aid Officer at WVJC Charleston. She finds it fulfilling to work at WVJC because of the many lives she can be a part of, as she watches students grow into confident and successful individuals. “These are real people, mothers, fathers, first time-students, all making an effort to do and be better. This gives us the responsibility to do and to be better as well.”

Christina understands the demographic of many of our students. A graduate of Marshall University, Christina began her higher education right out of high school, but as she began to have a family of her own, the inconvenience of traditional school interrupted her education. It was several years after her daughter was born that she returned to finishing her bachelor’s degree. “If I had known about a school like WVJC, I would’ve seen that I could both be a mother and student at the same time, and not make a sacrifice to either.”

Christina has previously worked in admissions in low-income based education services and understands the connection between education and finances. Christina says, “It is the goal of WVJC Financial Aid, to make school affordable today, but not leave you with an enormous debt tomorrow.” The financial aid team in Charleston works to establish a plan that allows you to focus on your education and not the burden of cost. As a native of West Virginia, Christina concludes, “West Virginia residents need careers here in our own state, and at WVJC, we can help make that dream a reality.”

“Traditional college isn’t for everyone, but education is. Finding the right school, a program that you are interested in, and a staff that supports your real life is key. We have that here at WVJC because WE CARE about your success.”

If you would like to know more about the short-term programs at WVJC, request information here!

Honey Randolph – Staff Highlight

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Honey is the nursing administrative assistant for WVJC. She was born and raised in West Virginia, grew up in Salem, and is the 5th of 6 children.

Honey joined the WVJC team in June of 2020. She started out being our Front Office Administrator/Registrar.

As the Front Office Administrator, she got to know the students by checking them in every morning. Part of her duties was to help the teachers with copies, grading, and making schedules.

In November 2020, Honey became our Nursing Administrative Assistant. Working with the nursing department has been a new challenge. From working with the students from day one to getting all of their admission paperwork to financial aid appointments to getting them set up on their first day, nursing is an entirely different world!

Honey says that WVJC has been a wonderful place to hang her hat. She likes the small office setting.

Honey stated that she feels this institution and the people it employs possess integrity, and she feels so fortunate to have the opportunity to build a career with WVJC. The students and faculty have become friends and family.

In her spare time, Honey loves spending time with family and friends, especially her 2 Lhasa Apso’s Tosha Bonnie Blue, who is 3 years old, and Ainsley Harper, who is 8 years old and is Tosha’s mother. Tosha and Ainsley love to take walks and are very spoiled.

To learn more about WVJC and to get to know Honey for yourself, request information here!

Kendall Craig – Staff Highlight

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Kendall is the high school admissions advisor at WVJC Morgantown. She chose to work at WVJC because she genuinely believes that higher education can change lives for the better. Her favorite part of working at WVJC is helping students realize their full potential, especially by helping them enroll in college. Kendall says, “It is an amazing feeling to know that you have helped a student realize that they can go to college and be able to achieve their goals.”

Kendall graduated with her B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Education from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2013. Since then, she has worked in the aquaculture industry on an abalone farm, has been the Sustainability Coordinator at Santa Barbara City College, and has been an Environmental Educator for the non-profit Explore Ecology. Kendall also has her California real estate license.

Throughout her life, Kendall’s mother has motivated her to be resilient, even during hard times. Kendall says, “I have been fortunate to have an amazing champion in my life who always pushes me to be a better person.” That motivation and guidance was important to Kendall.  She says that, for her, graduating from college is one of her proudest accomplishments. “There are no words to describe the feeling one gets from years of hard work coming to fruition.”

Long term, Kendall would like to continue to work in the field of education. She would love to be able to teach at the collegiate level someday.

One thing about Kendall that many may not know, is that she did not grow up in West Virginia. Kendall grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, and has always loved the ocean. She enjoys free diving and snorkeling in the underwater world. One of Kendall’s passions is to travel. Internationally she has been to the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Italy, and Mexico. She has traveled in the United States to Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and of course, West Virginia.

Theresa Correia – Staff Highlight

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Theresa is the Administrative Assistant/Front Office Manager for WVJC Bridgeport. She was a Navy brat from the time she was born in Virginia Beach until her father received his honorable discharge. After that, her family finally chose West Virginia as their home since it is where her mother’s family is from. She absolutely loves it and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

Theresa is currently working toward obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Interpersonal Relationships. She chose this focus because building, understanding, maintaining, and enhancing personal relationships with others is something she is very passionate about. There have been many bumps along the way in continuing her education and deciding what she should study, so she’s able to relate to many WVJC students who have faced those same real-life struggles that come along with being a non-traditional student.

Theresa has worked for different companies in different locations before finally finding a home at WVJC, and she can honestly say she’s never worked for an institution and with people that possess such great character, respect, and passion for their jobs, the people they work with, and the students they serve. Theresa also stated that she feels this institution, and the people it employs, possesses the integrity she has been looking for in her search for employment, and she feels lucky to have the opportunity to build a career with WVJC!

In her spare time, Theresa enjoys reading and has a vast collection of books she’s acquired over the years. She loves to hike and take her dogs out for a walk along with anything else that has to do with nature and the outdoors. She has a whole troop of fur babies to come home to every evening after work. She has a three year old maltipoo named Archie, a four year old aussiedoodle named Finley, an all-black cat named Spirit, and two older brother and sister rescue cats named Rusty and Beamer who are probably the fattest and funniest cats you’ve ever seen. They keep her very busy, but she says it is most definitely worth it!

Samantha Esposito – Staff Highlight

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“I wanted a position where I would be able to help and impact individuals while also supporting the community.  My position at WVJC has allowed me to do both!” – Samantha Esposito

As the Director of Career Management at West Virginia Junior College, Samantha Esposito assists WVJC students and graduates with employment opportunities upon graduation.  This is a responsibility that she takes very seriously.  “Working in Career Management, I knew that I would be able to impact student’s lives, while also supporting the employment needs of our community.”  For Sam, it is all about making an impact on her student’s lives.  When asked what motivates her, she had this to say.  “I don’t have one specific what or who, but many whos… the graduates. Their hunger to change their lives is what motivates me to do the best job possible.”

Samantha is motivated by the results of her students and her service to her community.  Prior to working at WVJC, she worked in student housing in the Morgantown area and the Ronald McDonald house prior to that. This path lead her to WVJC as a means to work in an environment that would allow her to use elements from both experiences to assist our students as they progress to the next step in their lives.  While at WVJC, she has continued to work within our community through service organizations such as the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Mon.

Student success is a cornerstone for us here at WVJC. The same can be said of how Samantha views her role her at the school.  “We are constantly enhancing the career management process and creating opportunities for our students and graduates.”  When asked what her favorite part about working at WVJC was, she said it is summed up by a “bunch of little moments.” These moments, as you can imagine, center around the success of her students.  “These little moments (are the) texts, emails, and even social media messages from students and graduates letting me know that have been hired, and how excited they are to start their journey into employment.  These messages reinforce that we are doing good things for our students, graduates, and community.”

Please visit wvjc.edu for more information on our Career Management services, our programs, or for more information on any other topic.  You can also call the school directly at 304-296-8282.