Fairmont, W.Va. – On February 16, Pierpont Community & Technical College hosted local community leaders for an immersive campus experience. Designed to be day-in-the-life of a Pierpont student, attendees saw first-hand how Pierpont lives up to its mission.
“The inspiration for [Experience Pierpont] is there still seems to be some air of mystery about what a community & technical college is,” said Dr. Milan Hayward, president of Pierpont Community & Technical College. “This will be a regular event, and you will see this many more times, and many more groups will experience Pierpont.”
During the experience, attendees visited all campus locations, received a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at each stop, and participated in a hands-on experiment. Many attendees had never been to Pierpont’s campus but were impressed by what the college offers.
“I didn’t realize how many facilities fell under the umbrella at Pierpont, so that was quite impressive,” said WVU Medicine’s Fairmont Medical Center participant Jennifer Pagliaro.
“[The facilities] are fantastic,” added Phil Wright of Stepping Stones. “Just seeing the new hands-on [options] available here, I think [the experience] was excellent.”
The in-depth experiences saw Pierpont faculty members and students leading the attendees through many different lessons, including creating a crème anglaise with Pastry and Baking Arts instructors, cleaning pet teeth with the Veterinary Technology program, and steel drilling with power tools with the Aviation Maintenance program.
“We learned how to clean dogs’ teeth, which I might use at home,” said Pagliaro. “The aviation [program] was impressive, and we used some power tools. It’s just really been a fun day.”
After the day’s events, participants discussed their discoveries about Pierpont with the administration and staff. Many mentioned the excitement around programs and Pierpont’s benefits to the community.
“As somebody who lives in the Fairmont area, I think I had a limited perception of what Pierpont offered,” said Pagliaro. “I think today, seeing it and how Pierpont is in the different areas, has really broadened my perspective. It is much larger and offers much more than I ever thought it did.”
“So many are familiar with universities, but too many people share with me that they don’t feel they are college material,” said Hayward. “Maybe you’re not ready for the baccalaureate degree, but you are ready for Pierpont Community & Technical College, and we’re ready for you.”
For more information on Pierpont Community & Technical College, visit pierpont.edu.
To view the pictures from the day, CLICK HERE