2015 grad Taylor Hockman Sparber wasn’t the student she’d been told she was, and Laurel Ridge wasn’t the college she thought it was – happily, both exceeded expectations. By far.
Despite hearing she should consider alternatives to higher education, Sparber went to Eastern Mennonite University following her 2013 graduation from Strasburg High School. She realized after one semester it wasn’t the right fit for her, and decided to turn to Laurel Ridge even though she had thought at the time that community college was beneath her.
Right away, she had a fateful encounter with former Laurel Ridge employee Kelli Weaver, an alumna working at the front desk.
“Kelli was the one who greeted me when I came in all confused,” said Sparber, adding she is a first-generation college student. “This place is my home. It’s my community.”
She had recently been diagnosed with a learning disability in math, which explained her earlier academic difficulties, and Laurel Ride granted Sparber accommodations to help her succeed.
“The faculty was amazing,” Sparber said. “Beth Dodson, who taught me statistics, helped me so much. She gave me the extra time and a quiet space, making it a very positive experience for me.”
Another favorite was the late Sociology Professor Laurie Alphonse.
“She was a phenomenal professor,” said Sparber, who was even named to Who’s Who Among Students. “I loved hearing her stories. She empowered her students.”
She particularly remembers the positive feedback on a paper she received from a history instructor.
“Getting that was just so helpful,” said Sparber, who received the F&M Bank Shenandoah County Scholarship.
She was very active in campus life – being employed as a work-study in the Student Life office, playing on the women’s soccer team, helping start the volleyball team, and working with the Student Government Association.
After graduating with her general studies degree in 2015, Sparber transferred to Shepherd University.
The support she received from faculty and staff at Laurel Ridge “set me up for success at Shepherd.”
“I learned to advocate for myself,” Sparber said. “Lib, Brandy and Sarah Pangle took the time to sit down and guide me and mentor me. Their support really helped me thrive at Shepherd.”
Taylor Hockman Sparber was a work-study in the Student Life Office.
Now, the director of public relations and special events at the college, Brandy Boies was the director of Student Life at the time. Lib Gorman was in Student Life, but is now an enrollment services coordinator, while former Student Life employee Sarah Pangle is now a communication instructor at Laurel Ridge.
At Shepherd, Sparber was in several honors societies, as well as a sorority, and served as president of the Panhellenic Association.
Her mom had suggested she work in higher education, but Sparber felt she had been called to be a social worker, so she majored in social work and minored in psychology, graduating with honors in 2017. She explored various roles after graduation, and found higher education is where she belonged.
“I loved teaching,” she said. “I loved higher education. That’s always been a common theme in all my jobs – educating, helping, serving.”
Sparber was hired as a career coach for American Public University System three-and-a-half years ago, and has been happy with her role, which she performs from home. In addition to her coaching appointments with students, Sparber does a lot of speaking for virtual events.
She has recently assumed the position of training coordinator with the National Society of Leadership Success (NSLS) at APU. In this role, Sparber is dedicated to mentoring future NSLS student/alumni leaders at the university, facilitating their development and helping students achieve their personal and professional goals.
“They’ve supported me getting my master’s degree,” she said. “I also earned my life coaching certificate. I became a certified career coach. They’ve just taken me and just molded me and helped me thrive.”
In April 2024, she earned her master of education degree in student affairs and higher education from American Military University, which is part of APUS. The university recognized Sparber as one of its 10 Academic Scholar Award winners. Recipients are chosen based on their leadership in the classroom, academic strength, and active engagement with instructors and fellow students.
“I cried when I got that one, just thinking how far I’ve come,” she said. “From being told not to even consider attending college, to receiving that award.”
Sparber also received a student impact award from a national leadership and success society.
“It’s like everything has come full circle with me, where I’m at professionally,” she said. “I’m happy with where I am.”
Sparber sees similar traits in her supervisors as she saw in Boies, Pangle and Weaver.
“It’s like I’m back with my family,” she said. “I’m serving people as a career coach. I’m hearing the struggles students are facing. I’m hearing life stories that I never knew I would be able to hear.”
Sparber sees more education in her future; she would eventually like to earn her doctorate in education. But, that will have to come later, she says. She and her husband, Zachary, have a toddler daughter, Novalee, and plan to have more children.
An ultimate goal of Sparber’s is to do adjunct teaching. She is also interested in being a foster parent and wants to connect former foster children with career coaches.
Sparber admitted that prior to turning to Laurel Ridge, she had thought she was above attending a community college, and her experience here has humbled her.
“But, I found out it was too good for me,” she said. “I didn’t realize all it had to offer.”
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.