CCV Selected for Metallica Scholars Initiative
CCV is proud to announce its selection as one of the community colleges invited to join Year 7 of the prestigious Metallica Scholars Initiative.
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For CCV student Tony Greenwood, Metallica is now more than just the name of a favorite band – it’s connected to his access to higher education. “I have often felt overlooked and forgotten, so to know that a band as successful as Metallica would reach down and help someone like me truly warms my heart,” he said. “Their support reminds me that people do care, and it gives me both encouragement and motivation to keep pushing forward with my education.”
Starting in 2024, CCV began offering the IT and Cyber Careers Scholarship in partnership with Metallica’s Foundation, All Within My Hands, and the American Association of Community Colleges. This scholarship is available to CCV students pursuing one of five certificates: cloud computing, IT support, cybersecurity & networking, data analytics & artificial intelligence, or web development. Through completion of one of these five certificates, students will be well equipped to join the workforce in this high-demand career field. In the 2024-2025 academic year, 35 students received this scholarship.
When Tony made the decision to go to college, it wasn’t just about personal growth and a career change – it was about creating a better future for his family. As a single parent raising two young children, Tony faced a pivotal choice: “I needed to make more money. Balancing childcare with work was a challenge, and I realized it was the right time to focus on building a stronger future for us,” he said. “I decided to pursue a degree at CCV to raise my earning potential and create stability for my family.”
Tony started taking classes at CCV in 2022 with a focus on business, drawing from years of experience in landscaping roles, from mowing lawns to helping lead the company. “The idea was to make sure that I could be an entrepreneur, run a small business, and use the skills I already had,” he said. But CCV opened new doors. “While attending CCV, I’ve mustered up more courage,” he said. “I considered the possibility that I’m worthy of a higher purpose and I connected that to IT. I actually get excited to learn.”
His interest in IT started before CCV, rooted in his experiences as a teenager. “I saw computers as one of the most exciting inventions of our time. Growing up in the 90s, every new electronic product felt like magic, and computers seemed to be at the center of it all. Even when life was difficult, computers gave me both a sense of escape and a challenge that kept me grounded,” Tony said. “That early fascination stayed with me, and as I have gotten older, I have come to see IT as a natural fit. The work is both practical and intellectual, and it connects to the way I think.”
The Metallica Foundation has helped bring Tony’s IT interests to life. “The scholarship gave me the chance to invest in hardware and software that I would not have been able to afford otherwise,” he said. “With that support I’ve been able to run AI models, develop websites, and create a virtual environment where I can practice software development.”
Tony is pursuing both an associate degree in business and a certificate in IT support, with plans to graduate in 2026. “This combination lets me strengthen both my business knowledge and my technical skills, which gives me flexibility for whatever direction I decide to take in the future,” he said. “I had so much doubt in myself, but CCV and the atmosphere, the environment, the people, it’s all made me believe that I can take a chance on myself.”
