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Ann Woolford-Singh grew up in Guyana, but was educated in the U.S. She is a vice president at Germanna. |
It's been only two months since Ann Woolford-Singh moved into her office on Germanna Community College's Fredericksburg campus.
Already it reveals much about her.
A portrait of Frederick Douglass hangs above the computer. On a framed postcard on the wall, a black woman washes clothes in a basin outside, her family just a few feet away. Woolford-Singh said it reminds her of home.
Paintings on another wall spell spring, summer and winter in Chinese characters.
Or is it spring, summer and fall? Woolford-Singh wondered. No matter. They remind her of her trip there months ago.
Woolford-Singh, 59, is the college's new vice president for academic affairs and student services. Most recently, she worked at Tidewater Community College for 14 years as an assistant to the president and before that as an associate professor of English.
Germanna marks a new beginning.
"I'm very attracted to growth," she said.
With recently inaugurated President David Sam, she plans to tackle growth and address students' needs with limited resources. She also wants to ensure employees learn continually.
But it was the college's history that she identified with, she said. In the 18th century, a community of German immigrants lived on the future site of the Locust Grove campus.
"Being an immigrant myself, I felt that immediate connection," Woolford-Singh said.
LEAVING HOME
The cold was the first sign she and her family were no longer in Guyana.
At 18, the eldest of three, Woolford-Singh arrived at JFK Airport in New York, wearing only a sweater over a summer dress.
She was used to warmer weather.
Guyana is a South American country flanked by Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil. With no means to pay for a decent college education there, Woolford-Singh's parents immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New York with their children.
In Guyana, education is valued more than money, Woolford-Singh said.
But money was a necessity, even in their new home. Woolford-Singh worked full time in an office and became the primary breadwinner for the family. Her parents and brother also worked full time. They pooled their earnings to make a down payment on a house.
Woolford-Singh said it was a "hard reality." She and her family had come with only a suitcase each. Though they spoke English, their culture was different.
Woolford-Singh balanced a full-time work schedule with a full-time class load at Brooklyn College. Seven years later, she earned a bachelor's degree.
By then, she was a mother and a wife who hadn't finished learning. She attributes this to her mother.
"My mom was ahead of her time," Woolford-Singh said. "She understood the limitations a wife had without an education."
She earned a master's degree from New York University. Now, she has a Ph.D. in urban services and higher education leadership from Old Dominion University.
A SCHOOLMASTER
A schoolmaster in Guyana inspired an 8-year-old Woolford-Singh to become a teacher. When her mother denied her permission to join a class field trip to a sugar cane plant, the schoolmaster visited her home.
Learning also takes place outside the classroom, he told her mother.
Woolford-Singh remembers the train ride to the plant and how she waved to people she passed. She was fascinated by the process of turning molasses into sugar.
"One of the first times I remember saying I wanted to be a teacher," she said.
On a yearlong fellowship with the American Council on Education last year, she traveled to China. There, she learned about the country's plans to develop a system similar to the American community college model.
Woolford-Singh said she believes in the idea that community colleges are democracy colleges.
But there are challenges ahead. Half of incoming students at community colleges need remedial classes in math and reading. There's also a technology gap between students and educators, she said.
Ultimately, Woolford-Singh said, she wants to show students a college education leads to a better life.
She knows this all too well.
Karen Bolipata 540/374-5418
Email: kbolipata@freelancestar.com
