Celebrating PVCC Alumni

A group of graduates in caps and gowns stands during a ceremony. The text at the top reads "PVCC Grads Go On To Be." A badge in the bottom corner promotes Community College Month.

This Community College Month, PVCC celebrates all the incredible alumni who have walked the halls and filled classrooms across campus and online. PVCC graduates go on to become trailblazers, healers, teachers, leaders, achievers, believers and dreamers. They are your neighbors and colleagues making a difference right here in the local community and beyond.

Here are just a few of these incredible alumni:

Quana Dennis

Quana Denis smiles wearing UVA polo on the Grounds of UVA.

Quana Dennis is a University of Virginia (UVA) WaHOO through and through but he got his start at PVCC. Dennis was in the first cohort of Piedmont Scholars, a program that provides a full scholarship to UVA and support from a transfer advocate who helps students succeed transfer to UVA. Passionate about the transfer experience, Dennis created a program called Panthers on Ground, which aims to better connect students transferring from PVCC to UVA. 

Dennis went on to become a "double HOO," earning his Master of Education at UVA and he is now pursuing his doctorate in Higher Education. Today, Dennis works in the UVA Office of Undergraduate Admission guiding transfer and high school students through the admissions process. He also is the founder of The Leadership Project on Grounds, "a student-led leadership initiative at the University of Virginia designed to help undergraduate students build meaningful networks, strengthen leadership skills and connect with university leaders and alumni."

 

Jeffrey Moscicki

Jeffrey Moscicki shakes President Runyon's hand while receiving the PVCC 2025 Distinguished Student Award

After serving in the Navy for 10 years and surviving a tragic car accident, Jeffrey Moscicki decided to pursue a career in nursing, inspired by the compassionate care he received from nurses and other healthcare professionals. During his studies, Moscicki worked full time at UVA Hospital while also volunteering as a firefighter and EMT. He also served on the boards of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association and the Alzheimer’s Association. All of these acts of service earned Moscicki the PVCC Distinguished Student Award in 2025.  Upon graduating in May 2025, Moscicki joined the pediatric ICU at UVA Hospital and was accepted into UVA’s Bachelor of Nursing program.

 

Andrea Copeland

Andrea Copeland smiles standing in front of her portrait on the alumni wall at PVCC.

After graduating from Charlottesville High School in 1990, Andrea Copeland started her academic journey at PVCC, attending throughout the early 90s while working part- and full-time jobs. Copeland shared, "PVCC was foundational in shaping my professional career. Its full schedules, challenging coursework, and supportive faculty, staff, and students laid the groundwork for my academic success. Upon graduation, I seamlessly transferred to its (then) partner institution, Old Dominion University, where I earned my bachelor's degree two years later. Every job I've held since the late 1990s has been a steppingstone to my next career opportunity, ultimately leading to my recent promotion as President & CEO of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce."

 

Golara Haghtalab

Golara Haghtalab Smiles in portrait

Golara Haghtalab started her journey at PVCC while she was still learning English, juggling jobs and trying to help her family adjust. She shared, "PVCC was the very first place where I began to feel seen and supported in this country. The staff and faculty at PVCC didn't just teach me—they believed in me. I mean, everyone who worked at PVCC had a heart." Today, Haghtalab is a management consultant at a global firm, helping large organizations rethink how they serve people through the human-centered strategy, design and technology. She is also a published author, writing "Immigrant: Courage Required."