Incoming NOVA Student Receives Pr. William Chamber Scholarship

Ming Harrison recently graduated from Osborne Park High School in Manassas where she was a dual enrollment student at NOVA. She was also a recipient of the Prince William Chamber Scholarship and plans to attend NOVA this fall. Get ready for our next crop of outstanding Nighthawks! Learn more about Ming’s story below:

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born in Hunan Province of China. At nine months old, I was adopted and have lived in Prince William County area ever since.

I’ve always had an interest in technology, and in my childhood, I was introduced to TV production. In middle school, I helped run a TV news broadcast; and by eighth grade, I was the director, producer and cinematographer. By the end eighth grade, I won the TV production award and citizen award.

By high school, I had so many interests and joined a ton of clubs. As time went on, I narrowed down the clubs that I wanted to focus on more.

The first clubs I joined were the robotics team and k-pop dance fusion. I then became the business manager for the robotics team.

I think the county did a great job putting a whole graduation ceremony in person and saw a couple of friends who I haven’t seen since quarantine. They did a lovely job being able to put that together. From graduation, I am now taking a summer college course at NOVA (ENG 111). It has helped me with time management. It’s not much of a change from virtual classes because my whole year was virtual. I am been very accustomed to virtual.

I have seen some benefits from being virtual – it has affected how I like to learn. I learned that NOVA would be the perfect fit for me. Personally, I like smaller class sizes. I think that I get more of a personal connection with my professors that way.

NOVA’s pricing is very reasonable, which was a big factor in my choice of a college. I’ve just heard so much about the teacher quality at NOVA. It is highly respected.

It is typical that the professors at NOVA have work experience in the field that they teach. That makes the whole working environment just more real. It’s beneficial for any student who wants to better their education, especially being able to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom. It makes the whole learning environment even better.

How did you learn about the PWC award?
I found it in my high school email. From there, I looked at the qualification and I realized I had a couple of the requirements and qualities that they were looking for. I thought ‘why not take a swing and see what happens.’

What Is Your Area of Study?
At NOVA, I plan on getting an associate in engineering and then utilize NOVA’s guaranteed admission to VT’s engineering college. I want to pursue a degree in industrial engineering.

After that, I may want to get a Masters’. After my bachelor’s degree, I want to go teach English in China after a year. I feel like immersion is a great experience, and teaching in China would be an eye-opening experience from just living in the Prince William County all my life.

What would you tell an incoming student who is thinking about NOVA?
To those students – if money is a high priority, and you don’t want a lot of college debt, NOVA is the choice. Aside from money, it is teacher quality. If you want a more personal one-on-one experience, you get a smaller class size.

From what I heard from larger 4-year institutions; they have class sizes of like 300. NOVA’s class sizes are much smaller! And NOVA is a place for students to thrive in a more one-on-one relationship.

Submitted by:
Hoang Nguyen, PIO, HDNguyen@nvcc.edu