Blue Ridge Community College Student Success Center

05/20/2026

Next week (May 27) is 20 months since Helene. We're proud of all our community has accomplished since then.

Featured photos: Scenes from Blue Ridge Community College following Hurricane Helene in 2024, ranging from emergency response and campus damage, to...

05/18/2026

Here's what looks like! Well done, .

05/06/2026

A special message from our very own Wanda Gant:

After serving BR students for slightly more than 28 years, I have decided to retire. My role here has been more than teaching. I have been mentor, teacher, counselor, and advisor. Many of the students I worked with trusted me enough to share their stories with me and forever touched my heart. The memories are good.

Many of my coworkers have become good friends. We carried each other through some very difficult times (Covid and Helene come to mind). There were times of growth, times of laughter, times of tears.

Saying farewell is bittersweet, but I look forward to the coming years. My hope is that retirement will be filled with good health, much love, and lots of laughter.

I wish you all the best. Whatever you believe success to be, I hope you achieve it. Thanks for the good times and memories.

Wanda

05/05/2026

You made it!

🎓Congratulations to everyone who is graduating this week! We wish you all the best in whatever is next for you!

For those of you who are still working toward that degree, we will see you in the fall!

Have a GREAT summer!

04/29/2026

Featured photo: Heidi Anugrah of Henderson County earns an Associate in Science degreefrom Blue Ridge Community College in Dec. 2025 as a transfer...

04/28/2026

It's SUCCESS TIP TUESDAY!

The end of the semester is approaching quickly! Are you feeling the pressure of finals and projects and end of year activities?

During busy times, it’s important to effectively manage your stress levels. Taking a 10 or 15 minute break to do something you enjoy can really help reduce your stress levels. Here are a few examples:

🔹Take a short walk or hike
🔹Eat a good quality snack
🔹Work on a hobby
🔹Go to bed 30 minutes early
🔹Yoga or meditation
🔹Connect with a friend

What helps you when you are feeling stressed?

04/23/2026

⭐SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT⭐

Jennifer Parrack-Rogers (JPR) received her associate's degree from Washtenaw Community College in Ypsilanti, MI, before she went next door to Eastern Michigan University for her bachelor's degree in English and Communication. She gained her MA in English from UNC-Wilmington and a certification as a Developmental Specialist from Appalachian State University. Jennifer loves to be in the classroom and teaches composition, rhetoric, and American Literature II--ENG 111, 112, and 232. Outside of teaching and poetry, Jennifer is passionate about her family, hiking, and yoga.

👉 Have you visited a WRITING specialists in the SSC yet? Writing specialists can help you with any assignment that requires you to communicate your ideas. Writing an essay, a paper, lengthy forum post, or creating an outline, speech, or presentation?

Come see us in Patton 140!

04/16/2026

⭐SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT⭐

This is David Blevins.

When he was young his parents wanted him to develop an apparent gift he had for mathematics. Looking back now, it feels as if he did nothing but math for the next 10 years. Entering his junior year of high school, he and his parents agreed he would take one last math course and then he would never have to look at those evil symbols again. The “last course he would ever take” was Calculus 1.

And it fascinated him.

He went on to take seemingly thousands of more math classes and now tells math jokes and posts math-related memes for his friends and family, all of whom despise receiving them and delete them without even opening them.

When he’s not mathing it up, he is hanging out with his wife and taking care of his four kids. Actually, he doesn’t get to do anything other than take care of his four kids anymore. In a parallel universe where free time existed for him, he would play his guitar, hike with his family, and go to a Phish show or two.

👉 Have you visited a MATH specialist in the SSC yet? Math specialists can help you understand concepts and apply them to a variety of problems. They can also help you learn how to use technology like graphing calculators and StatCrunch.

Come see us in Patton 140!

04/14/2026

It's SUCCESS TIP TUESDAY!

📓 As the end of the semester approaches, finals will be here before you know it. How do you prepare?

Students sometimes one or two days is enough. Many times, they wait until the night before and have a marathon study session. This is known as “cramming” and sometimes works well enough to pass the test, but the information is often quickly forgotten.

Maintaining a regular study schedule can help you avoid the stress that comes from waiting until the last minute and improve your ability to retain what you’ve learned. Because the brain remembers best what it sees and uses repeatedly, regularly reviewing your notes and course materials increases the chances you will remember the information later. This method is called “distributed practice” and it can:

✅ give your brain the chance to really learn information.
✅ allow you to spend the days leading up to a test reviewing what you know instead of learning new material.
✅ reduce stress levels and test anxiety.

▶️ Need some help scheduling your study time? Come visit us in Patton 140!

⭐ What does your study schedule look like? Tell us how it works for you in the comments!

04/09/2026

⭐SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT⭐

Lisa Grosso graduated with her MA in English from Florida Atlantic University and has taught high school and college for many years. She currently teaches English and literature classes at Blue Ridge and feels incredibly blessed to be here. Reading, hiking, family time, and hobnobbing around the mountains are her favorite pastimes.

👉 Have you visited a WRITING specialist in the SSC yet? Writing specialists can help you with any assignment that requires you to communicate your ideas. Writing an essay, a paper, lengthy forum post, or creating an outline, speech, or presentation?

Come see us in Patton 140!

04/07/2026

It's SUCCESS TIP TUESDAY!

Merriam-Webster defines an advocate (noun) as “one who supports or promotes the interests of a cause or group.” As a verb, advocate means ”to support or argue for” or “to plead in favor of” someone or something.

Being an advocate for yourself means that your well-being and academic success are the interests you support and promote. This means you speak up for yourself when needed. The definition above talks about arguing and pleading, but advocacy is not
❌ begging a teacher to change a grade
❌ yelling at your advisor when you don’t do well in a class
❌ skipping classes because your car broke down

There are many ways to effectively advocate for yourself. This can look like:
✅ asking an instructor for clarification on a grade and how to improve next time
✅ visiting the Student Success Center to learn test-taking strategies
✅ communicating with your advisor about what’s working well and what needs to change for future semesters
✅ seeking help from community resources if you need a job, food, affordable housing, childcare, or transportation

Knowing who to go to and how to clearly communicate your needs are essential skills that will help you advocate for yourself not only while you are a student, but throughout your life as well.

▶️ Not sure who to contact or how to ask for the support you need? Come visit us in Patton 140 and we can steer you in the right direction!
⭐ Tell us about a time you were your own advocate in the comments.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advocate