Richard McDonald, FTCC male mentor coordinator
Richard McDonald has always felt a calling to help people achieve their goals.
“Any way that I can use my prior experience or skill set to get people to where they can be a success in life — that’s always been my passion,” McDonald said.
McDonald, a pastor with years of experience working in student support services, has brought that passion to Fayetteville Technical Community College, joining the staff in October as FTCC’s male mentoring coordinator.
The college’s YES Initiative, which developed from the N.C. Community Colleges’ system-wide Male Mentoring Success Initiative, connects male students with mentors for coaching and support while promoting academic success and personal growth.
McDonald, a Greensboro native, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and religion from Wake Forest University and a Master in Divinity from Regent University. He’s served as a pastor in Florence, S.C., for seven years.
“As a pastor, I use mentoring skills on a daily basis with my congregation,” McDonald said. “And in the church and in the community, I’ve had several mentors and still do, even to this day.”
While in Florence, McDonald worked at Central Carolina Technical College in the TRIO Student Support Services program, which provides support for first-generation college students, Pell Grant recipients and students with disabilities.
McDonald thought the skills he was using in TRIO would be easily applicable to becoming the YES Initiative coordinator at FTCC.
“I thought this was a good fit in order to apply the skills I was using in TRIO and use them in a program that was helping males to reach their goals and academic dreams,” McDonald said
McDonald said he’s looking to continue the success of the YES Initiative with hopes that the program will eventually become more student-driven.
“We want to build upon the foundation that’s been laid already,” McDonald said “We want more students to take advantage of the services the YES Initiative offers, and then we want to see the students take ownership of the Initiative. I believe once that happens, this is going to benefit males all across campus.”
Find out more about FTCC’s YES Initiative.
Are you interested in becoming a mentor or mentee? Fill out this form.
