Sinclair360

A.J. Smith

A.J. Smith is not your typical 20-year-old. Not many can say that they have worked for the now-President of the United States, been elected to a city council, or even graduated from college; but A.J. Smith has accomplished all of them.

Since his junior year in high school, A.J. knew he wanted to be a firefighter, but delayed his dream to pursue a political career. After his election to the Middletown City Council in 2007, A.J. realized that he still wanted to become a firefighter.

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Sinclair was the best option for me. I had great instructors and great experiences while in the Fire Academy at Sinclair I enjoyed myself and learned so much at Sinclair that I am going back for more.

 Misty Mitchell

In high school Misty Mitchell followed her counselor’s advice and attended Miami Valley Career Technology Center’s tech-prep program. She took advantage of the scholarship offered by Sinclair to get her Nursing degree.

 During Misty’s time at Sinclair, an advisor told her about the new SHARE (Students with High Achievement for Rapid Enrollment) Nursing program, allowing Sinclair students to simultaneously take baccalaureate-level classes at Wright State University. By doing so, she earned her associate degree from Sinclair in 2009, and her bachelor’s degree from WSU one year later.

 Now a registered nurse at Atrium Medical Center, Misty is coming back to Sinclair this fall, to prepare herself for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and medical school. 

 Crystal Hart

As a single parent, Crystal Hart wanted to make sure that she provided her children with a stable environment, which meant putting her dreams of becoming a police officer on hold. As her kids grew, she knew that the best way to ensure all of their futures was for her to go to college.

 After graduating from the Sinclair Police Academy in 2009, she joined the Perry Township force and did some undercover work. In August 2010, Crystal came home. She is now part of the Sinclair Campus Police and is taking classes at Sinclair again this fall, in hopes of earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice through a partnership with Ohio University.

 Ron Spells

Ron Spells had never had trouble finding a job before. But when he lost his warehousing position in October 2009, he found the market to be different. When he and his 7-year-old daughter were forced to move into a homeless shelter, he knew it was time to find help.

 Although he was worried that coming back to school would be scary, the collaborative Composites Technician training program created by Sinclair, Montgomery County, the National Composite Center and Montgomery County Department of Job & Family Services was the right fit for Ron.

 Now working full time at the National Composite Center, Ron really enjoys assisting engineers with research. In fact, he is considering going back to school to become an engineer himself.

 Jennifer Ball

After starting in the nursing program at Sinclair, Jennifer Ball realized that she needed a career that allowed her to show her more creative side. When she transferred into the Hospitality Management & Tourism program, she knew she had made the right choice.

 After graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts in 1996, Jennifer entered her field as a banquet chef. She joined the staff of Citilites as soon as the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts opened in 2003. Since then she has worked her way up to executive chef.

Jeff Gerken               

Jeff Gerken, a Surgical Technology graduate, was named Ohio’s 2010 New Century Scholar while at Sinclair. Gerken was then selected as a 2010 Top 20 Community College Student in the country by USA Today.

The New Century Scholar program recognizes top community-college students for academic excellence, leadership and community service.

While graduating from Sinclair with his Associates degree was a great accomplishment, Jeff’s real goal was to attend nursing school at the University of Cincinnati. He is currently there working on his Bachelor’s degree.

Michael Malarkey      

When Michael Malarkey was cast as Tartaglia in Sinclair Community College’s production of The King Stag, he had no idea that his experience would blossom into a career.

Michael auditioned for drama schools in London after he graduated from Sinclair, his interest in British cinema guiding him overseas, instead of to New York or Los Angeles. He was accepted at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and he received a first-class Bachelor of Arts honors degree in 2008.

The first two productions Michael acted in opened to fantastic reviews, and the runs were such a success that both plays transferred to The National Theatre in London.

Michael realizes that Sinclair was a great place for him to further his acting career. “I really value the affordability of Sinclair, as well as how accommodating the college is for each individual,” he said. “Having the opportunity to participate in a whole range of classes and construct my own curriculum was just what I needed at that time in my life.

Bobbie Gerhart                  

As a young mother with three small children, Bobbie Gerhart made the decision to attend Sinclair while serving on the emergency medical squad for West Carrollton. Now, as the CEO of Miami Valley Hospital, she’s making sure that other people have the same opportunities she did.

“I chose Sinclair because of the flexibility and attractive tuition rate,” said Bobbie. “Plus, there were people there my own age. I wasn’t a traditional student, and working with other adults helped me to enjoy attending school.”

Bobbie knows that the training she received prepared her well for the professional world. “When I took my first job with Sinclair after graduation, I felt clinically ready and became a nurse leader within a year,” she said.

“My favorite thing about Sinclair is that the school makes dreams possible, with few [of the] barriers that are prevalent at other colleges. Anyone has a chance to succeed, and the diversity is so positive,” Bobbie said.

John Steele                                                             

When it was time for John to graduate from high school, he wasn’t sure what his next step should be. Originally from Vandalia, Ohio, he had heard of Sinclair and knew that spending two years at an affordable community college would make more sense than accumulating a lot of debt at a four-year university.

Aside from the real-world skills that John learned from the in-class professionals, it was the personal attention from his Sinclair instructors that made a difference.

After completing his associate degree, John eventually went on to Wright State University and earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational communication. As a public information specialist for Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County (PHDMC), John is able on a daily basis to combine the graphic-arts skills he learned at Sinclair with the copywriting and editing techniques he gained at Wright State.

Angie Broussard                                       

“After I left the military several years ago, I was at loose ends. I began my college career anew at Sinclair,” Angie Broussard said. “Sinclair had a great reputation, and the affordability and scholarship opportunities were a big determining factor for me.”

For many students like Angie, scholarships help to make an education at Sinclair a reality. “I receive veteran benefits through the government, but they aren’t enough to cover my school costs,” she said. “I don’t make a lot of money in my current position, and I don’t have a lot left after bills are paid.”

For three years, Angie worked full time while taking up to 11 credit hours of courses at Sinclair.

 “There’s such a good mix of students at Sinclair,” Angie said. “Young and old, people from everywhere. No matter what, though, you’re going to see lots of people and feel at home here.”

Angie is one of the hundreds of students who attend Sinclair with the hopes of continue transferring to a four year college. Angie is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Wright State University.

Glenn Faircloth                  

In 1990, living on his own as a high school senior, Glenn Faircloth didn’t believe there was much for him beyond high school. U.S. Army commercials kept playing on the TV in his small studio apartment. “Be All That You Can Be,” they encouraged.

Glenn took a chance on the Army and, after four years of service, went on to complete coursework at Sinclair and to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science and math education at Central State University. While teaching and serving as administrator at various Dayton Public Schools, he earned a Ph.D. in education administration from Miami University.

Now, Glenn is principal of the David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center, a high school designed to pave the way to college for urban students.

Pat Caudill               

Pat Caudill opened a computer lab in Dayton for newly or chronically unemployed people. Located at Vineyard Church in Dayton, Pat’s computer lab assists anywhere from 20 to 100 people in a week.

His journey to Sinclair started when a woman gave him knowledge to help himself, too.

“I met a woman who works at Sinclair, and she was the one who told me about the scholarships,” Pat said. “I applied, and I was really surprised to get it. I never thought I would go to school. I’m not really a typical college student. I have a half-sleeve tattoo and an earring; that’s not what most people think of in a college student! That scholarship became my hope of a new future.”

“My scholarship is a portal to a new world, as far as I’m concerned,” said Pat. “I’ve always wanted to learn about environmental engineering, and I hope to go to Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad and Sudan to provide water to villages without a clean, safe water source.”

Pamela Cone & LaJaya Reed         

Pamela Cone and her daughter LaJoya Reed both graduated from Sinclair last summer. For both of them, the choice to attend Sinclair came easily.

"I was ready for a career change," said Pamela. "I had worked in medical administration, but I wanted to do something more creative and explore my other talents."

Sinclair's interior design program seemed like a great option for Pamela since the two-year program was affordable. She started classes, and before long, she was encouraging her daughter to attend Sinclair, too.

"Joy was at the University of Dayton for a year, and at that point, I had attended Sinclair for a quarter. She knew she wanted to go to law school, so we thought it would make more sense for her to accumulate more debt at the end of her schooling than at the beginning. I told her to just try a quarter at Sinclair in the political science program, and she loved it," Pamela said.

Anita Saunders

Anita Saunders was ready for a career change and knew she wanted to go back to school to build upon her skills and learn a new trade. As part of the paralegal program at Sinclair, she enjoyed classes in bankruptcy law and litigation.

Due to the labor-intensive nature of the paralegal program and also working while she took classes, Saunders worked for nearly five-and-a-half years to complete her degree. Her dedicated professors helped her to improve her writing ability, as well as develop a clear, outlined thought process.

Diana Graham     

Diane was one of those people who didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up – or how her talents might best serve others. Knowing that she needed a college education to benefit her family and her children, Diane enrolled at Sinclair and immediately felt at home. Many of her classmates weren’t recent high school graduates either, and Diane loved to learn from her professors’ real-world experiences.

Her education at Sinclair was meaningful. She wasn’t just reading about case studies and theories in textbooks; she was learning firsthand from people who practiced what they taught.

Now, as executive director of Dayton, Ohio, Habitat for Humanity, Diane puts the skills she learned at Sinclair to use on a daily basis.

“My time at Sinclair made me a lifelong learner,” Diane said. “Everything that happens makes you who you are at the end of the day, and you bring a little bit of Sinclair with you everywhere you go.

Vivian Hubbard-Jackson    

Vivian has Sinclair Community College in her blood. Having completed a Nursing undergraduate degree as a young adult, Vivian garnered expertise with acute and long-term care, hospice and home care, and nurse-educator excellence during her career. After she completed her master’s degree in Nursing Education last year, Sinclair’s Nursing department tapped her to serve as assistant professor of Nursing, thus completing an educational sojourn beginning and ending with Sinclair.

“My most precious memory is of lifelong mentor and friend Dr. Gloria Goldman, former chair of the Sinclair Nursing department. Dr. Goldman and Dean Dave Collins believed in me and helped me attain my dream of being a professional nurse educator for Sinclair’s Nursing program, as well as fulfilling my sincere desire to give back to the college and our community. I am so proud to be a Sinclair graduate.”