Meet the Concordian Staff

This week we are proud to feature our Editor- in-Chief and Director of Sales & Marketing, Anthony Woodyard. A veteran member of the newspaper staff, Anthony has served as the Director of Sales & Marketing intermittently since the fall of 2010. Anthony hails from Pearisburg, Virginia where he was a 2010 graduate of Giles High School. Anthony knew from an early age that he was meant to be a Mountain Lion and took his first tour of The Campus Beautiful when he was in 9th grade. After making several changes to his “life plan” during the first few years of his college career, Woodyard decided that the healthcare field was the right field for him. Anthony used to be the prime example of bad decisions in college, but he is making strides every day towards being a success story.

At the conclusion of his sophomore year, he decided that the best option for him was to take some time off and reevaluate where he was going with his life. After living in an apartment in Princeton and working full time for a year, he returned to Concord and is actively pursuing a Regents Bachelor of Arts and is projected to graduate in May of this coming year. For Anthony, taking some time away from school put his life into perspective as he recalls, “After working full time for a year in a previous job that was rather unfulfilling, I really saw the importance of being a focused and committed college student.” Anthony stays very involved on campus while juggling his school workload.

An advocate for Concord’s RBA Program, Woodyard credits his timely graduation to the program for giving him experiential credit through certifications and experiences he gained while in the workforce. Anthony truly sees the benefits of the RBA program and fre- quently speaks to individuals about what a great opportu- nity it can be. Anthony notes, “I often find myself defending the RBA because people think it’s not a real degree. I quickly set the record straight when I tell them that I will be attend- ing grad school to receive my master’s degree as a Physician Assistant once I graduate from Concord. The RBA is a way of giving people a chance (or even a second chance) at making a college degree a reality.”

Although he is ready to make his own path in life and set out on an adventure bigger than this small community, he is hesitant to think about leaving the place he has called home for the last five years and he says, “Every day I am reminded why I chose to attend Concord Uni- versity. This place, these buildings and people, mean more to me than I can ever express. From the sweet cafeteria employee who knows me by name and tells me she prays for me, to the University President who takes the time to talk to me and makes me feel like a member of the Concord Family, to the countless nights I’ve spent in the Fine Arts building rehears- ing music and working on the newspaper, it’s taught me so much more than can ever be found in a textbook--it’s taught me about life. I know these are the days that are defining the rest of my life.”