Brittany a strong and dedicated young lady, had a great example to show her the way as she grew up. She came from a single parent home, where her mother, Lisa Beebe-Valentine, worked long and hard to make ends meet.
Mrs. Beebe-Valentine, showed great courage when she decided to leave Brittany’s abusive father when she was very young. Brittany’s mother knew the road ahead would not be easy, but she understood and accepted the challenge of raising her family on her own. The hard work of Brittany’s mother set the example for what one can do when set your mind to a goal.
Brittany had decided that she needed to get a good education in order to be successful in her life. She started this journey at Bay High School, where she graduated in 2009. It was then that she realized, that she needed to start somewhere and that somewhere was Gulf Coast State College.
Brittany found an atmosphere of growth and learning that was inviting, giving here the room to improve herself and grow as a person. Through Gulf Coast, she had the opportunity forge new life-long friendships and experiences. She started to come out of her shell by joining clubs and organizations like the Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, TRiO, and Student Government Association to name a few. This helped Brittany to overcome her shyness and learn to voice her opinion.
During this time she was working full time at Granny Cantrell’s as a baker, which allowed her to make ends meet while getting her education. Brittany was also able to find additional time in her already hectic schedule to volunteer with other community organizations.
During her time at Gulf Coast, she was encouraged to apply for scholarship and internships. One of the scholarships she applied for is the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This scholarship would allow Brittany to have the funding for her classes, books, and living expenses.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship was award to only 90 students in the United States. Executive Director Harold O. Levy explains that “Community colleges hold some of the best-untapped talents in the nation, but often these students need financial resources, guidance, and support in order to take the next step and earn bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees” at Gulf Coast they found that talent. Brittany now has that resources to achieve her educational goals, after being 1 of the 90 scholarship recipients.
Brittany also applied for internships within her degree field with the help of her Gulf Coast professors. Her talent was noticed by the United States Navy, who offered her an internship that has the potential to turn into a full-time position.
She is currently attending the University of North Florida, studying Electrical Engineering. During her studies at North Florida, she will continue to work full time with the United States Navy as an Electrical Engineering Contractor.
While attending classes and working for the Navy, she still continues with her volunteer work through clubs and organizations at her current school. Brittany achievements and work is touching the hearts of families nationwide on a daily basis through her passion for helping people. She serves as a member of a team that is adapting and retrofitting special needs children with “ride-on” toy cars that are adjusted to their specific physical disability. You can read more about this program at The Florida Times Union to read the article or First Coast News to view the video.
Brittany still has many experiences and opportunities to look forward to in her future, but it is obvious that her future is looking bright. She will continue working for the Navy where she gets plenty of practical training skills in her field. The Navy may or may not be in the long-term plan for Brittany, as she is also interested in entrepreneurial opportunities that would include helping people through the use of engineering, and to continue to volunteer.
Today she participates in a program that assists children with special needs to become more mobile with the use of engineering technology. Brittany loves helping people achieve their happiness through her work.
Brittany talked about how important it is to her that one day she could have the ability to provide and support her mother. Brittany has a very specific goal of wanting to purchase a nice home for her mother so her mother would have a home of her own. This would mean a lot to Brittany because she wants to give back to the woman that sacrificed everything for her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maryann
Student Author - Spring 2017
Maryann is a designer, front-end developer and family gal. I like to doodle over fonts and pour through code. Designing web interfaces has to be one of the most challenging and rewarding careers, next to teaching. Requiring constant upgrading of knowledge, meeting demanding deadlines and finding solutions to criticism. And that’s why I love it. In my spare time, I spend as much time with my family Geocaching and playing Pokemon Go. I have an incredibly family and patient husband, James and three wonderful children. Chances are, you’ll find me either in front of a computer screen, at school, or with my family.
