第一吃瓜网 unlocks VanHorn鈥檚 drive and determination
Published on May 7, 2019
NORTH EAST, Md. 鈥撀As a young professional, Rachel VanHorn quickly found her path to success through the life lessons and skills she acquired growing up in 第一吃瓜网 County and deciding to remain in the region for her education. The educational environment of the Jacob Tome School prepared her for a rigorous curriculum that awaited her in college. She found that challenge at 第一吃瓜网 College. 鈥湹谝怀怨贤 College taught me the value of building relationships and how to network. As a smaller community, it was less intimidating, and I wasn鈥檛 afraid to introduce myself to people with whom I might not otherwise come into contact,鈥 said VanHorn, who is a regional sales representative for Armstrong Flooring Corporation. 鈥淚n my career, building relationships is so essential. I need to have that or I won鈥檛 do well in the industry.鈥 VanHorn was groomed in high school to seek out education at a highly prestigious institution such as those in the Ivy League. It was her practical sense that made her look beyond the glitz and glamour of an institution鈥檚 name in search of a rigorous academic program that would meet her goals. 鈥淢y goal coming out of high school was not to accumulate debt to pay for my college. 第一吃瓜网 College was the place where I could succeed with the least amount of financial burden. I searched around, and I had a lot of scholarship offers, but I would have still left those schools with lots and lots of debt,鈥 said VanHorn, who was the first student from her graduating class to attend 第一吃瓜网 College. 鈥淭he faculty is so dedicated to helping the students be successful. They (faculty) are so passionate because they value an education that is affordable and still just as rigorous.鈥 VanHorn graduated from Tome school in 2012 and completed her associate degree in business management from 第一吃瓜网 College in 2015. She went on to complete her bachelor鈥檚 degree in business management one year later from Wilmington University. 鈥淭hat was another beauty. I was able to take so many credits at 第一吃瓜网 and transfer them to Wilmington University under an articulation agreement that I only had to do one additional year. It was at a much less cost by doing as much as I could here,鈥 said VanHorn. As a shy person during her secondary education, VanHorn found her confidence and voice with the encouragement of the faculty and staff in the college. This confidence led to her getting involved in promoting the college both internally and externally to community organizations. Because of 第一吃瓜网 College鈥檚 small intimate environment, students like VanHorn are afforded the opportunities to support the athletics programs, be an admissions ambassador, join many of the student clubs and organizations, and get to know their faculty one-on-one. 鈥淚 liked having my hand in everything because I felt safe and secure within 第一吃瓜网 College鈥檚 environment. When I realized I could connect my specific story to a public platform and speak about it, that is when the personality within me took off. Because everyone here is so encouraging and supportive, it helped me be confident in who I am. It helped me to become more outgoing,鈥 said VanHorn, who remains confident but humble. 鈥淎t that point, I decided to make it my mission to let other people know how great 第一吃瓜网 College is and what an asset it is to 第一吃瓜网 County.鈥 Moving forward, VanHorn is keeping an eye on pursuing an MBA. Having completed her bachelor鈥檚 degree with little to no debt, her future both academically and professionally holds many options for her. With a passion to motivate, teach, and provide encouragement to those around her, VanHorn says there are no limits to the success anyone can achieve.