BLINN’S INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Korey Thomas dropped out of school after sixth grade and spent the next two and a half years in a New Orleans prison. Upon release, Thomas committed himself to redeeming lost time with a new-found faith in God and self.
Two months after his 27th birthday, Hurricane Katrina ravaged everything he’d rebuilt. In the wake of the disaster, Thomas moved with his family to Bryan-College Station for another new start. He drove trucks for a local public works department until a mentor suggested a GED program. Thomas liked the idea of a pay increase, so he gave it a whirl. After earning his GED, he was encouraged to pursue a college degree.
Thomas enrolled in Blinn College’s Applied Business Program in Fall 2013 and earned an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in May. He customized his experience by taking classes in the College’s Information Management Program.
“I would tell anybody the Information Management Program is phenomenal,” Thomas said. “I am so grateful for Blinn and for my instructors. I had one instructor who saw I was struggling, but she didn’t leave me behind.”
That caring instructor was Information Management Program Coordinator Erin Wilhite. Wilhite proudly points to Thomas’s two successful businesses: Faithful Lawn Care & Trash Hauling, and his crown jewel, The Remnant from Nawlins Cajun & Country Cuisine, located inside the Checkers convenience store at 604 Holleman Dr. in College Station.
“Korey’s restaurant is doing so well, he can barely keep up with his lawn business,” Wilhite said. “He came to Blinn really uncomfortable with computers, and now he’s drawing up business plans, designing menus and maintaining a website.”
“If you Google ‘Cajun food in College Station,’ I’m going to pop up first,” Thomas said. “That’s because I learned search engine optimization in Mrs. Wilhite’s class. I also learned to market my business and design an attractive website. The business plan I made at Blinn inspired me to open my own restaurant.”
Blinn’s Information Management Program equips students for excellence in business with a two-year AAS degree or one-year certificates in Digital Publishing, Office Administration and Software Specialist. The program also offers Marketable Skills Achievement Awards (MSAA) in graphic design, web design and office administration that can be completed in just one semester.
No special skills or prior experience are needed to succeed in the program, and students seeking a certificate or MSAA are not required to take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment. The program caters to an array of students, including those looking to attend school full-time or working professionals seeking to refine skills or learn a new trade.
Students often earn an MSAA in their first semester, gain employment thanks to their top-notch skills training and continue gaining valuable on-the-job experience while working toward a certificate or AAS degree. Program graduates have landed jobs in law firms, graphic and web design firms and started their own businesses.
“We continue to develop and repackage a relevant, modern program for students who are looking to become highly-skilled, coveted employees,” said Brandy Scholze, assistant dean in the Division of Business, Agriculture & Kinesiology. “We have a conglomerate of students in different stages and walks of life. Information management offers something for each of them.”
Program administrators work closely with an advisory committee of experienced industry professionals who offer expert advice to keep curriculum on the cutting edge and help students seeking associate degrees land internships. The team includes Susan Prevost with Prevost Consulting, LLC; Carroll Hedrick with Copy Corner; Martin Hooper with Drifting Creatives; Garret Lee with DeLucia Mail Service and Donna Gandy with Personnel Services.
For more details on the Information Management Program’s offerings in web design or office administration, contact Erin Wilhite at 979-209-7431 or erin.wilhite@blinn.edu. For information about graphic design, contact Jason Carranza at 979-209-7612 or jason.carranza@blinn.edu. Story and photos courtesy of Blinn College.
Great story.. This young man is proof that it is never too late to turn your life around. Wishing Mr Thomas much success in his endeavors.
Hats off to you Korey. I wish you continued success and lots of business. So proud that you didn’t give up but pushed forward.
It’s great to hear a good success story! We are all capable of great things, all we need to do is try.
Rex is so correct, and it is so wonderful to hear someone that had a tuff time in his/her life and then can see the light and turn their life around and do some great things, it is so good to hear about great things our young folks do and not always the bad things they do, we need to spread the word that all one have to do is try to do right and the rewards will come, I wish him a very successful future. And Blinn is a wonderful place to start.