Caring faculty at Germanna made all the difference for Christina Martino

Christina Martino says she chose Germanna Community College because students are “not just another number” here.

The 20-year-old Martino, who was elected 2013-14 Student Government Association vice president, is a Spotsylvania County native who was home-schooled. She will be the student commencement speaker when she graduates tomorrow during 7 p.m. ceremonies at the Fredericksburg Expo Center and plans to transfer to Liberty University in the fall.

“My older sister went here and said there’s one-on-one attention from the professors. The class sizes are smaller and the faculty is much more involved here than at most colleges. I’m really impressed by how much they care about the students.”

Martino is considering going into special education as a career.

“I had some experiences in high school working with autistic children and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Martino also cited affordability as a factor in her decision to start

She said she would tell others considering starting at a community college and transferring to get their bachelor’s degree that, “for me, it’s been a great option. Germanna provides great resources—including free tutoring—along with faculty who care about you and your personal success. I think there’s a '13th grade' misconception about community colleges. Like most things in life, community college is what you make it. I think Germanna provides what’s necessary and goes above and beyond in helping students.”

She cited psychology Prof. Michael Shockey and English Prof. Cheryl Huff as examples of faculty members who provide university- quality instruction with personal attention.

“They really care about the students and love their jobs,” Martino said.