ACTC staff supporting students from home

May 27, 2020

This is the eighth installment in a series of employee spotlights for Ashland Community and Technical College to highlight how faculty and staff are helping students while working remotely.
Despite the change in delivery method, ACTC’s employees are dedicated to providing the best support possible to its students.

Name: Heather Shelton
City of Residence: Grayson, Ky.
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, MSU, 1994; Master of Social Work, UK, 1998.
Role(s) at ACTC and how you interact with students: Director of Disability Services, adjunct social work instructor. Collaborate with faculty/staff to oversee academic accommodations for students with physical, mental health, and/or learning disabilities; oversee handicap accessible parking and issuance of school tags; work with pregnant/parenting students to provide pregnancy related accommodations and provide information to instructors; coordinate with Mountain Comprehensive Care for on campus counseling services at College Drive, distribute information about services and meet with students to provide external referrals for counseling and related services; miscellaneous student engagement events/duties such as campus blood drives, the ACTC Angel Tree, registration of student organizations, etc.; graduation committee/helping coordinate the yearly commencement
How long have you been with ACTC? Almost 18 years.
What are your favorite things about working at ACTC? Watching students achieve goals, big and small (that is why I LOVE being part of graduation); ACTC’s involvement with the larger community; my coworkers/ACTC family; the flexibility and support provided, which was especially helpful when my children were younger. ACTC has been a great place to work while raising a family.
How would your co-workers describe you? Not sure, probably scattered, and always running behind/last minute with something, but I hope that they also see me as helpful and a good teammate.
Who is your biggest role model and why: In general, my dad is probably my biggest role model. We tend to think very similarly, in terms of process, even if we disagree on topic, so we “get” each other. Also, I admire his intelligence, work ethic, compassion, desire to ALWAYS keep learning something new, and the way he lives out his Christian faith in service, always looking for new ways to serve.
My biggest role model at ACTC is Megan Horne. Megan has a passion for serving students, is always looking for ways to serve them better, and doesn’t just talk about doing things – she makes things happen. She gives up her time, her personal resources, and more to make sure students get what they need, but she doesn’t shy away from having necessary hard conversations with them either. She has a great team of folks with a lot of strengths, and she provides excellent leadership.
If the students I work with learn one thing, I hope it is… I hope it is how to better understand themselves – how they learn, what accommodations they need to be successful, problem solving, how to advocate for themselves, and how to ask for help without seeing it as weakness.
How are you assisting students during the pandemic and what should students know about your area of service during this time? My assistant, Lance Frazier, and I are continuing to serve students from home. We are using multiple ways of staying connected to students: email, phone, video chat, text, etc., to stay in touch and help however we can in individual student situations. We are staying in touch with faculty to check on students’ progress and make sure they are receiving accommodations. We are also connecting with new students preparing to start with ACTC in the summer or fall to help them get registered with our office, and navigate all the processes needed for first time students.
Currently, it is best to reach us initially by email at Heather.Shelton@kctcs.edu and/or Charles.Frazier@kctcs.edu – I would encourage contacting both of us in the same email. While working from home it works better to schedule times for calls and video chats. Information about our services and PDF copies of our intake and other forms are available on the ACTC web page at https://ashland.kctcs.edu/about/student-life/disability-services/

Name: Mia Brown
City of Residence: Ashland, Ky.
Education: B.S. Biotechnology, M.S. Biological Sciences, M.S. Adult and Technical Business Education, Graduate Certificate Business Management, Doctoral student in STEM Education at University of Kentucky.
Role(s) at ACTC and how you interact with students: Credits Count Project Director, ACTC FIVCO Science & Engineering Fair Director, Science Faculty Member
How long have you been with ACTC? 4 years
What are your favorite things about working at ACTC? I love leading our STEM initiatives for the college.
Special accomplishments while working at ACTC? Received the Congressman Hal Rogers Difference Maker Award for my efforts in STEM Education in Eastern, KY. Also received the 2020 STEM Ambassador Award from the Kentucky Science Center.
How would your co-workers describe you? Creative genius, passionate, hardworking, and rare.
Who is your biggest role model and why: My biggest role model would be my late brother Matthew. He taught me to always be available to help someone when they need you. He started each day with the purpose of “let’s go help someone.”
If the students I work with learn one thing, I hope it is… there is a bright future and hope for their lives.
How are you assisting students during the pandemic and what should students know about your area of service during this time? I am currently teaching both major and non-major biology lecture and lab courses. For both lectures I am providing recorded and live lectures through Blackboard Collaborate. In addition to my BIO 152 lecture, I am growing Wisconsin Fast Plants at my home for their independent plant projects. I am running four different experiments, taking photos, and measurements and uploading them to their electronic lab notebook for them to complete their lab requirement for the course. I am essentially their “lab rat” and loving it.