Sabrina Almarode
Self-proclaimed "class mom," Sabrina Almarode has come a long way since her first awkward days as a BRCC student. "I was the minority," she says, referring to being the same age, or older, than the parents of her classmates. "When I said that I remembered JFK's assassination, the student beside me looked at me – his eyes nearly bulged out of his head!" Sabrina now laughs about those encounters and has come to not just enjoy but embrace the age differences in her classes.
After being laid off from local manufacturer, Sabrina struggled with what to do. With eleven years in management, "I assumed I would retire from there." Through the federal trade act program, Sabrina took advantage of the opportunity to go back to school. She's currently enrolled in the business management program, and is planning for a second career as a manufacturing analyst – a job with projected growth in the next few years.
Sabrina was elected by her Principles of Management classmates to chair the first BRCC Economic Conference, which was a capstone project for the class. James Leech, instructor of the course, commented, "Her leadership style, and business background allowed for the conference to be a resounding success which will be repeated next year. Sabrina has an ability to establish strong, coherent goals while allowing others to see her vision and want to go with her on the journey."
Sabrina points out that many individuals – faculty and staff – have had, "a positive impact on my life as well as career studies while I have been attending Blue Ridge."
Sabrina is the mother of three grown children and a grandmother of five. She and her husband own two Bloodhounds and have been fortunate enough to have produced three litters of fat, wrinkly puppies.
