Author: Mary Margaret Busby

The Madison County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is the recipient of several awards of distinction presented during the sorority’s 90th Southern Regional Conference in Kissimmee, Florida. During the Southern Regional Conference, more than 3000 Delta women gathered to celebrate their sisterhood, service, and scholarship. The Madison County Alumnae Chapter received five awards and one of those was a Distinguished Service Award for the World AIDS Day observance held on the Ridgeland Campus of Holmes Community College on Dec. 1, 2015.

Khidari Barksdale of Madison has come a long way from his days as a shy homeschooled student. When his parents told him they wanted him to either finish his high school diploma at a public school or earn his General Educational Development Test (GED), the soft-spoken teenager decided the latter was the best choice for him. Since that day, Barksdale has gone through the GED readiness courses, passed all four tests, and enrolled as a freshman, all at Holmes Community College on the Ridgeland Campus.

Holmes Community College Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Instructor Pamela McCollum, RN, MSN, MS, BS, recently earned her PhD in Nursing Education and Administration from William Carey University in Hattiesburg.

NaTunya Johnson, Ed.S, district department chair of the Business and Office Technology (BOT) Department at Holmes Community College, was recently named to the Mississippi Business Journal’s (MBJ) 50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi Class of 2016.

Stephanie Wood has joined the Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus as the graphic designer.

The Ridgeland Campus of Holmes Community College held a Graduation Ceremony for the Emergency Medical Sciences (EMS) Class of 2016 on July 26 in the D.P. McGowan Workforce Training Center.

The Holmes Community College Goodman Campus will hold an Electrical Lineman Program information meeting for those interested in being a part of the spring cohort on Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. in the Science and Mathematics Building Auditorium on the Goodman Campus. The meeting is mandatory for all potential students who are interested in applying to the 16-week training program.

Students in the Holmes Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program recently became the first in the state to have students published in a scholarly publication. Fourteen OTA students contributed to an article on postural alignment that was published in the industry magazine ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. ADVANCE offers cutting-edge strategies, innovations, salary information and more for those in the field of occupational therapy.

The Holmes Community College Attala Center in Kosciusko is offering the Professional Truck Driving Training Program beginning Sept. 12. The Professional Truck Driving Training is a six-week program that prepares students to enter the commercial truck driving industry. The program includes classroom, controlled driving environment, and road driving to provide instruction in operating diesel powered vehicles, DOT rules and regulations, shifting techniques, pre and post trip inspections, loading and unloading cargo, and keeping necessary records. Prior to the fall term program beginning, the Attala Center will offer the CDL preparation course, designed to prepare applicants for the CDL Commercial Learner’s Permit. The prep course will be available – free of charge – from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Aug. 6 and Aug. 13.