Page 6 - AD Spring 2018 newsletter

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Tonya Holder
The staff spotlight for this
issue is Mrs. Tonya Holder, one
of our amazing teachers. Mrs.
Holder has been with Brevard
Adult Education since August
2011. She has taught GED,
Adult High School and Career
Pathways courses as a part-
time teacher for four years at
our Palm Bay and Cocoa cam-
puses. Mrs. Holder became
a full-time adult education
teacher in 2015 to launch our
first industry certification pro-
gram, called Certified Produc-
tion Technician (CPT) in part-
nership with Eastern Florida
State College. Although Mrs.
Holder’s first career was not
education, she surely stands
out in her performance, which
is why she was chosen for the Staff Spotlight article in this issue
of the New Direction! I sat down with her to learn a little more about what makes her thrive here at Brevard Adult Education:
Q: What is your current role at Brevard Adult Education?
A. Currently, I’m a teacher who assists the director, Jeff Arnott, and his leadership team in implementing his vision of providing career path- ways for our students. I accomplish this by initiat- ing and coordinating some of our new programs at Brevard Adult Education, such as our Post-Second- ary Adult Vocational Programs (PSAV), our upcom- ing Pre-Apprenticeship Program and other industry certifications. In addition, I help build relationships with our wonderful business partners and agencies who provide assistance and employment opportunities for our students. I also serve
on some of their committees.
Q: What is it that you like most about your job at Brevard Adult Education?
A: What I like most about my job is that I can help make a difference in the lives of our students and give back to the community. That has always been very important to me. I attribute my success to the
service of others. I would not be where I am today if it were not for other people paying
it forward. I know the value and importance of mentoring and coaching as a profession- al, community volunteer and parent because I experienced it first-hand. Serving youth
is something that has always come naturally to me. I am fortunate that I have been able to do that as an engineer, program manager and teacher through company outreach programs and community service.
Q: Why did you change your career from an engineer to a teacher?
A: Although I loved, loved being an engineer and worked for some awesome employers, my last role was very demanding, being on-call and working long hours. When I became a mother, I had to put my kids first. I felt it was important to be more available for my two young children, so I sought employment with Brevard Adult Education, and I’m enjoying the journey. I’m off winter, spring and summer breaks!
Q: Do you have any advice for students that may be struggling to figure out what they should do in life?
A: First, don’t be afraid to talk with your parents, men- tors, teachers and guidance counselors about your struggle to figure out what you want to do in life. Second, I would encourage them to use available tools such as comprehensive career planning (my- careershines) and personality assessments to help guide them into a career of their interests and skills. Third, I would strongly encourage them to take advantage of every opportunity to explore differ- ent careers by attending Brevard Adult Education, Career Source Brevard and Eastern Florida State College and other local career and student informa- tion sessions. Finally, try to enjoy the journey, life has twists and turns along the path.
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