Walter Perry

My name is Walter Perry and I’m a freshman at John Tyler Community College. I am a bit older for a student, 29, but that’s because I spent about 10 years in the military. During my time in the military I got to visit many places like Germany, the Middle East, and Asia. Last March I found out my life was going to be even better– my wife and I were having a baby.

 When my wife and I found out we were having a baby we decided it was time for me to go back to school, so that we could provide for our baby with the best opportunities possible. My desire was an engineering degree but with our baby on the way, we weren’t sure what we were going to do. Then we saw the new engineering transfer program John Tyler had started. 

Making the decision to come to JTCC was the best decision I could have made. It has given us flexibility, affordably, and kept us close to family. The school and the engineering program have really helped my family out during our time of transition.

 When John Tyler asked me to tell our legislators about how the college has helped me I jumped at the chance. I was nervous when we started talking to our delegates but as things continued I realized that they were normal people. I talked to Dels. Cox, Dance, Ingram, and Tyler I could see they were truly interested in what all of us had to say. I even showed Del. Ingram I was carrying pictures of my new son, which made him laugh. It was a great experience and a great opportunity to show our legislators how vital community colleges are to the future of the commonwealth.

Walter Perry
John Tyler