Growing up in Luray, Katie McDaniel always knew she wanted to work at Luray Caverns one day. Thankfully, the Luray-Page County Center opened for classes in 2006, the same year McDaniel graduated from Luray High School, and she was able to continue working full time at the popular tourist destination while earning first her associate degree and then her bachelor’s.
McDaniel recalled being watched by her grandmother as a child.
“She would bring us to the caverns,” said McDaniel. “I always remember walking through and just being fascinated. I told my grandma, ‘I’m going to be a tour guide one day.’ I even wrote an essay in school about my trip here and wanting to be a tour guide.”
When she was 16, McDaniel was hired to work at the caverns – and she has never left.
“The caverns have always been such a wonderful place to work,” said McDaniel, who has been with the caverns for 20 years and is now the sales manager. “I was a tour guide for eight years.”
When it was time to enroll at Laurel Ridge, the caverns provided her with a scholarship, in addition to a couple she received through Luray High. Her employer was also flexible in allowing her time to study and attend classes.
“I always wanted to try to expand my education, and it made it so convenient for it to be right in our backyard,” said McDaniel. “I went to the Middletown Campus a little too, and went online, so it was a mix.”
Her favorite classes were public speaking, ethics and business courses.
“I really enjoyed the public speaking that we had at the LPCC,” McDaniel said. “I grew up being very shy, but being a tour guide here and speaking in front of 50, 60 people several times a day broke me out of my shell a little bit. It made me very interested in tourism. Now, I’m going to different tourism conferences and having to speak in front of people.
“Public speaking feels like really such an important thing, especially in our society today with phones and digital. It’s so easy to just hide behind an email. Having to get up in front of people to talk is so important.”
After graduating from Laurel Ridge with her associate degree in General Studies in 2008, McDaniel transferred to James Madison University, but left after a year because balancing her studies there with a full-time job was too difficult. McDaniel returned to Laurel Ridge, which had a partnership with Old Dominion University offering distance learning classes on site. She was able to finish her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies – right at Laurel Ridge.
She said the LPCC “opens up so many opportunities” for Page County residents.
“It gives students that opportunity to get their education, but also stay close to home,” said McDaniel, whose husband John, is also a graduate of Laurel Ridge. “A lot of small communities don’t always have those opportunities. Now the students are so lucky to have a large new space to go to right here in Luray – it’s wonderful.”
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.