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"We're very proud of our men and women in uniform and deeply appreciate their sacrifice for our country," commented Lori Caputo, Director of Military Donation Programs with eKnowledge.  Ms. Caputo stated, "We want to ensure that our military families have the support they deserve with their continuing education requirements." 

The SAT and ACT PowerPrep^tm DVDs include more than 11 hours of video instruction and 3,000 files of supplemental test prep material, thousands of interactive diagnostic tools, sample questions, and practice tests.  Students select the training they need and can study at their own pace.

Eligible recipients include Service Members from all branches of the military who are active duty, retired, Veterans, Guard, Reserve, DoD employees, and civilians performing military support. Also eligible are relatives and dependents of anyone who otherwise qualifies from the prior list.

To order your SAT/ACT Prep Course, visit the eKnowledge Website.

From attorney to real estate agent to instructor to counselor to mother of six, Lynn Goodwin is a powerhouse whose goal is to help military students achieve their educational dreams.

Lynn Goodwin readily admits that she didn't see herself as a military educational counselor 20 years ago. Goodwin, who was born and raised in Hampton Roads, went to the University of Virginia for her undergrad and followed that with a law degree from the University of Richmond. After earning her degrees she returned to Hampton Roads where she practiced law for 16 years, with 6 of those years at her own firm. But then something happened: she met her husband, Scott, at the time an active Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy and father of 5. After marrying him and taking his children into their home, she knew she had to close her law firm and focus on her family.

Goodwin's awareness of Tidewater Community College started in her law firm where one of the attorneys had told her that he started his college education at Thomas Nelson Community College. From there he transferred to William and Mary for his bachelor's degree and was then accepted into their School of Law. She was impressed by how much the community college system prepared her colleague for the long-term higher education system. She mentions that she "didn't think that the community understood how much the community colleges have to offer and how blessed this area is to have them."

After closing down her law firm, Goodwin earned her real estate agent license as a secondary career and by 2011 she was ready to try something different. She looked into teaching the Landlord Training Class that TCC's Workforce Development offered and to prepare herself for teaching she took The Basic Instructor Training class taught by TCC Workforce Development's own Nancy Parks. Parks, who often works with military students through her classes, mentioned to Goodwin that a Base Representative position had become available and Goodwin knew immediately that was what she wanted to do. Goodwin says "I have a special place in my heart for the military and their spouses. I can definitely identify with them." Although her husband retired from the Navy when they married, he began working with an army defense contractor in 2007 and has been sent to Iraq three times and Afghanistan twice in the past four years. His trips range from one to six months and leave Goodwin at home with several children and four dogs. Although she admits that the dogs, particularly her German Shepherd, Boss, are a huge relief when he isn't there. "I just really respect the sacrifice that the service members make and the spouses and families, their sacrifice is just as important."

Goodwin began her position as the "Traveling Base Rep" in May of this year. Her coverage includes the Portsmouth Coast Guard Base on the first Wednesday of every month, the TAPS program at Naval Station Norfolk, and she is working on creating additional hours and locations to reach out to the Marines, Veterans and Fleet and Family Services. She says she "wants to get out into the community and find the military members and their families where they are." Her goal is to make achieving your education while in the military as convenient as possible. Goodwin is also working with the Commonwealth Challenge Program at Camp Pendleton where at-risk students from the age of 16-18 go through a rigorous Boot Camp while earning their GEDs at the same time. Afterwards, Goodwin is administering placement tests to them to prepare them to enter TCC the following semester. Many of these students would never even have completed high school without the program and now they have a tremendous opportunity to pursue higher education.

While it seems like a long road from being an attorney in her own law firm to counseling military students and their families about education, Goodwin draws a strong comparison: "In law, every case you deal with is different. There may be generalities, but the details vary. Every one of my students is different, they have different things going on with their families, their lives, their goals, and I treat each of them like a different case. I may not have all the information a client needs when they walk in the door, but I know how to find things, how to analyze things and give them information that they may not have even known they were looking for in the beginning. I love to research and learn new things, so I never have a problem finding information for a student."

When asked what her favorite thing about her new job is, Goodwin answers quickly, "the people! Having great leadership and a great team with the other Base Reps drives your enthusiasm . . . and the people who serve are fantastic. They are genuinely appreciative of what you do for them" which she notes, is one major difference between this job and her legal career.

You can find Mrs. Goodwin at the new Center for Military Education at the Virginia Beach Campus as of next week. In the meantime, you can contact her via email: kgoodwin@tcc.edu.
Her first Landlord Training Class will be held in September. Visit the Workforce Development Website for more information.