Michelle Deighton

I’m a student at Danville Community College and part of the first Student Leadership program on campus.

When I first heard we were going to Richmond I wasn’t sure what to expect. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. Waking up at 5 a.m. wasn’t the highlight of the day —  but meeting our representatives, Sen. Robert Hurt, Del. Danny Marshall, Del. Don Merricks and Sen. Frank Ruff opened my eyes and helped me to understand who is representing me.

They all were more than happy to open their offices to us and invite us to sit and speak with them about the issues that were on our minds. We also got an opportunity to see the Senate in action, and Del. Danny Marshall introduced us to the entire assembly.

If you have never had the opportunity to see the Capitol building I urge you to go. Thomas Jefferson designed and built the Capitol in the late 1700s. That building is the history of Virginia’s government; Robert E. Lee stood in that very place when he took command of the Southern forces. The only statue that George Washington ever posed for stands in the middle of the Capitol with a stained glass dome high above him that you oddly can’t see from the outside of the building. The halls of that building are drenched in the history that created the foundation that we stand on today.

My trip helped me realize that what I say matters. The Senators and Delegates took their time to listen and truly discuss the issues that we as DCC students and Virginia residents are concerned about. I feel we made a difference and let everyone know that community colleges are helping provide hope and opportunity to people that at times cannot find it anywhere else – helping create hope for a better, brighter tomorrow.

Posted by Michelle Deighton
Danville Community College

DCC group with Chancellor Glenn Dubois before going to the General Assembly