Steve Darling, NVCC

When I was asked to partake in the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) visit to the Virginia General Assembly, I was curious beyond words. Who would I meet? What does the State Capitol look like? Most importantly, how could I be of help to NVCC and the state Senators and Delegates?

When we arrived at the Library of Virginia for our briefing (after a 6:30 AM departure from Loudoun) we were greeted with appreciation and enthusiasm.

After we broke from orientation, individual schools gathered to walk into the General Assembly building where the real business took place. Our goal for each of our six scheduled meetings was to express to the lawmaker our experiences at NVCC, the opportunities that the school has provided us with, and the rapid expansion of our college system and the corresponding resources we hope to receive in the future.

We were fortunate enough to meet with Delegates James LeMunyon (67^th), Kenneth Plum (36^th), Joe May (33^rd), Thomas “Tag” Greason (32^nd) as well as Senator Mark Herring (33^rd). Then we headed to the Capitol to sit in on the General Assembly where Del. Kenneth Plum cordially introduced us to the House of Delegates with a corresponding standing ovation.

The most rewarding thing to me has been the incredible warmth and compassion upon which we were received and the close ties that nearly each Delegate and Senator had with NVCC or the VCCS, in one way or another.  Del. Tag Greason, for example, owns a marketing consulting business headquartered directly underneath the NVCC Signal Hill Building, across the street from the Loudoun campus. His wife, he told us, received her associate’s degree from NVCC and graduated from George Mason, where he met her during his graduate years.

Without exception, our Loudoun campus trip to Richmond was successful, informational, and fun!  Beyond the excellent networking opportunity we were provided with we had a unique ability to speak on behalf of an institution close to us and, above all, one whose future success we have directly helped to secure.

Steve Darling
NVCC – Loudoun Campus