My name is Jennifer Jeffreys Dove.  I received my A.A.S. in Human Services Technology with a Social Services Concentration from PCC in May 1999.  The experiences that I gained while at PCC have been invaluable to me.  The classes gave me the background information that I needed to support a career in working with welfare reform programs.  My internship with Human Resources Development (HRD) at PCC was the opportunity of a lifetime!  While there, I was given a chance to work with welfare recipients first hand.  Even after my internship was complete, the staff at HRD offered me a paid position as an employment specialist for a welfare-to-work program.  The experience that I gained there resulted in many doors being opened for me in other welfare programs.  In April 2000 I moved to Portsmouth, VA where I worked as a job placement specialist at Newport News Social Services.  There I taught job readiness classes that helped to prepare welfare recipients for the work world.  After working there for a year, I left Newport News Social Services for a position at Norfolk State University where I currently work.  Here I am the coordinator of welfare reform programs for the School of Social Work.  My job duties require that I supervise a staff of five and monitor the of the day to day operations of two grant programs that provide employment readiness and mentoring services to welfare recipients.

Since graduating from PCC, I have also been afforded many educational opportunities.  In 2003 I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership & Management from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA.  I am currently enrolled in a Master’s of Public Administration degree program, which I will complete in December 2004.  Each of my accomplishments listed here are due to the foundation I received at PCC.  The classes provided me with practical information that I apply daily in my current position.  PCC was there for me when I was unsure of what direction I wanted to take in my life.  My time at PCC was a period of maturation and insight for me and I would not be where I am today without it.