Stories

There’s a shortage of emergency medical workers across the nation and around South Carolina. Rebecca Jackson is answering the call right out of high school, thanks to some help from Piedmont Technical College. “I’m going through my certification right now,” she said. While attending Saluda High School, Jackson earned college credit and received EMT training through PTC’s Dual Enrollment program...

Earning college credit while still in high school isn’t the only benefit Madison Anderson has experienced by taking Dual Enrollment courses through Piedmont Technical College. “It’s given me a lot of confidence and new skills,” she said. “It helped me as a student as well as a person.” Dual Enrollment is an advanced-credit program for high school juniors and seniors. Different classes are...

A total of 429 academic credentials were awarded to 288 Piedmont Technical College (PTC) graduates during commencement ceremonies held Aug. 1. The ceremonies at the James Medford Family Event Center in Greenwood marked the end of a successful academic year in which PTC awarded 1,829 credentials to 1,275 graduates. Those credentials included associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Dr. Hope E...

A recent donation from Ascend Cares Foundation will be used to buy training equipment for students in Piedmont Technical College’s (PTC) Paramedic Program. PTC President Dr. Hope E. Rivers accepted a $3,086.86 check Monday, Aug. 12, on behalf of the college’s foundation from Harry Tate, fire chief for the Ascend Performance Materials facility in Greenwood. “The generous support we receive from...

Days before classes resumed, nearly 300 Piedmont Technical College (PTC) faculty and staff members gathered Aug. 13 for the fall 2024 convocation in the James Medford Family Center on the Greenwood campus. “This is the start of something new, something that is refreshing,” PTC President Dr. Hope E. Rivers said during her State of the College address. “I hope that you can feel the momentum that...

Jonah Cooley overcame a speech impediment by watching the evening news on television and modeling his enunciation after the anchors and reporters. Nowadays, the Abbeville High School graduate speaks in a smooth baritone and can clearly articulate his plans for the future. “I’m majoring in political science and then I’m planning to go to law school and become a government lawyer,” he said. He’ll be...

As students returned Monday for the first day of fall classes, Piedmont Technical College (PTC) President Dr. Hope E. Rivers revealed the name of the new PTC mascot: Blaze the Phoenix. “Blaze isn’t just a name; it’s a powerful symbol of action each of us can take as a Phoenix,” said Rivers as she stood next to the mascot outside the Student Center on the Greenwood campus. “Just as a single spark...

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Mount Olive (UMO) through the UMO Promise program, offering significant educational advancement opportunities for PTC students. This partnership enables PTC students who earn an associate of diversified agriculture and horticulture technology degree to seamlessly transfer to UMO to pursue a bachelor’s...

Kristy Patrick admits she isn’t what people think of as a typical building construction student, but that didn’t stop her from enrolling in Piedmont Technical College’s Building Construction Technology program. Her determination and “can-do” attitude propelled her to graduate with a 4.0 grade point average and to begin a new job a week after graduation. Patrick says she was a stay-at-home mother...