We are delighted to announce that Bruce Peterson, Assistant Coordinator and Lead Technical Instructor at CCWA, received this year’s Outstanding Achievement from a “Rising Star'' award during Virginia’s Community Colleges HIRE Education Conference.
With this award, Peterson was recognized for his exceptional talents of teaching, adaptability and managing others as well as his pursuit of advancing workforce development initiatives—such as modifying CCWA’s manufacturing curriculum to better meet the needs of the industry and the students. His endless dedication for creating spaces for his students to be successful in the classroom and the workforce shows in the results at CCWA.
“He’s made an impact in student enrollment, student completion rates, and he’s improved student certification rates in MT1 from 60% to 94%,” said Elizabeth Creamer, Vice President of Workforce Development and Credential Attainment at CCWA.
Peterson was further recognized for his other contributions at CCWA. According to Dana Newcomer, acting director of sector strategies and workforce credentials at CCWA, said, “Bruce’s students come from all walks of life including homeless, disabled, refugees, felons, military and single parents.” He is determined to meet all his students where they are at and provide any additional support and resources to make sure they have a shot for success.
Ultimately, Peterson’s love for his students is one of the main factors on why he has become so successful in his role at CCWA. “I love teaching,” said Peterson. “I like to see the light bulbs go off in their heads like ‘Oh, I got this,’ and when they pass their credentials and so forth it’s very cool to see that I’ve kind of put them in a position to be successful.”
The Virginia Community College System's Chancellor Award for Outstanding Achievement from a Rising Star is presented annually to a "college-based faculty or staff member who has 3 or less years of workforce development experience." The recipient demonstrates "remarkable talents and dedication to furthering workforce development initiatives and must have exhibited exemplary potential for future contributions to the field."