Top

Student Spotlight: Karly Marchand

Karly MarchandNov. 13, 2019

Most people who meet Karly Marchand would never guess she served in the United States Army. Quiet and unassuming, the 22-year-old Glocester resident blends seamlessly with fellow first-year students at the Community College of Rhode Island.
 
“Even my mother, she tells me all the time now, ‘I still can’t believe you did it. That’s not you!’” Marchand says.
 
“But it was for the best.”
 
Two years ago, Marchand faced a major crossroads. She was in her second year at Johnson & Wales University, having already switched majors several times, from Fashion Merchandising to Accounting, followed by Sports, Entertainment and Events Management. From there, she segued into wedding planning, transferring as a sophomore from Providence to JWU’s campus in Charlotte, NC.
 
Marchand interned for an independent wedding planner in between classes in Charlotte, and while she enjoyed the business, she wasn’t quite set on it as a career. Plus, the cost of tuition and the impending debt she’d face after graduating remained a concern.
 
“I was just trying to find the right fit,” she said.
 
Determined to change her trajectory, Marchand left JWU and enlisted in the U.S. Army in January of 2017, six months shy of her 20thbirthday.
 
The plan was to serve in the U.S. National Guard, but less than a week before she finished basic training, she got the call for her first and only deployment.
 
Some wait years to get that call, and some never get it at all, but, within 10 months of enlisting, Marchand deployed to Kuwait, where she worked in the Army’s maintenance unit processing inventory and ensuring vehicles were properly repaired. Seven months later, the Army sent her to Iraq, an environment she described as hot and hazy, with very little sunlight. Stationed near a combat zone, Marchand worked on a military base separated from civilians by reinforced concrete T walls, designed to absorb the impact from low-flying trajectories, such as missiles, or small firearms.
 
“It was nerve-wracking,” she said. “We were in a constant state of never knowing what would happen next.”
 
Serving overseas, meeting new people and seeing the world opened new doors for Marchand and helped shape her plan for the future.
 
She returned to Rhode Island in September of 2018, just a few weeks after the start of the first semester for most college, and soon discovered CCRI’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security program, which piqued her interest because of the variety of potential careers within the field. Now in her first semester at CCRI, she is also in the process of reenlisting in the National Guard for six more years, inspired by the people she met and the friendships she developed serving overseas.
 
“Just like the Army was the right move for me, so is CCRI,” Marchand says. “When I saw the college offered a program for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, I thought to myself, ‘That is exactly what I want to do.’”
 
CCRI’s flexible schedule allows her to attend class full time while working weekends at the National Guard and at T.F. Green Airport as a ramp agent for American Airlines. She’s also thankful for the support from CCRI’s Student Veterans Organization, which helped her with her initial paperwork in addition to finding the right options for using her GI Bill®.
 
Marchand recently discovered the veterans’ lounge at the Knight Campus, too, where she has met fellow veterans with similar experiences who relate to what she went through readjusting to the college lifestyle.
 
“I definitely couldn’t do this by myself,” she says.
 
Now, with a lifetime of valuable experience behind her, and the support from CCRI’s veterans’ community, Marchand is one step closer to finding her perfect fit.

Share this story

Latest News

Lucas Johnson Named Rhode Island's 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar

Lucas Johnson Named Rhode Island's 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar

March 17, 2025

Warwick, RI- Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) student and Warwick resident, Lucas Johnson, has been named a 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

Read More

Governor McKee, CCRI Announces Launch of Associate Degree in Culinary Craftsmanship

Governor McKee, CCRI Announces Launch of Associate Degree in Culinary Craftsmanship

March 07, 2025

NEWPORT, RI – Governor Dan McKee and the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today announced the launch of an associate in arts degree in Culinary Craftsmanship on CCRI’s Newport Campus in fall 2025. To support this initiative, Governor McKee is proposing $850,000 to create a Culinary and Hospitality hub at CCRI’s Newport Campus. The hub will serve as a state-of-the-art learning environment designed to meet the growing demand for skilled culinary professionals in Rhode Island’s workforce.

Read More

CCRI Metallica Scholars: Forging Paths to Success in Healthcare

CCRI Metallica Scholars: Forging Paths to Success in Healthcare

March 05, 2025

For students like Esther Duran, of Providence, Wanda Wrobleski, of Cumberland, and Richard Garcia, of Providence, the journey to a fulfilling career in healthcare has been transformed thanks to the Community College of Rhode Island and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). Funded by a $75,000 grant from the legendary rock band’s foundation, All Within My Hands, this initiative provides financial support to students enrolled in CCRI’s Medical Assistant and Patient Support Specialist workforce training programs—helping to alleviate financial burdens and empower students to focus on their education and career goals.

Read More

CCRI Women's Basketball Team Punches Ticket to National Tournament

CCRI Women's Basketball Team Punches Ticket to National Tournament

March 05, 2025

Warwick, RI- The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Women’s Basketball teamshowcased their dominance once again in the NJCAA Region XXI Conference, securing the regional title for the fourth year in a row and, punching their ticket to the National Tournament.

Read More

CCRI Players Present Stephen Sondheim's Assassins

CCRI Players Present Stephen Sondheim's Assassins

March 04, 2025

WARWICK, RI – The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Players continue their 2024–25 season with a bold and thought-provoking production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins, running March 6–9 at the Bobby Hackett Theatre on CCRI's Knight Campus.

Read More

CCRI Players Celebrate 50 Years of Excellence

CCRI Players Celebrate 50 Years of Excellence

February 14, 2025

The Community College of Rhode Island's (CCRI) student-run theatre group, the CCRI Players, proudly marks half a century of participation in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 1, held this year at Central Connecticut State University. Over the five-day event, the Players distinguished themselves by securing 10 awards across various disciplines, including acting and properties design.

Read More

Black History Month

Black History Month

February 10, 2025

February marks  Black History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans in this country; a time to acknowledge the lasting achievements of the people of the African diaspora who have shaped American history; and a time to walk alongside today’s Black leaders as they lead the work to create a truly anti-racist, inclusive community for all.

Read More

Fall 2024 Dean's List

Fall 2024 Dean's List

January 08, 2025

The Community College of Rhode Island announces its Fall 2024 Dean's List. Students enrolled in a degree program who have completed 12 credits with a grade point average of 3.25 or higher this semester with no grade lower than “C” are eligible for this scholastic honor.

Read More

World Languages student and Rhode Island native wins fifth Emmy Award for film-editing technology

World Languages student and Rhode Island native wins fifth Emmy Award for film-editing technology

December 13, 2024

Cranston, RI, native Thomas Ohanian, a World Languages & Cultures student completing his independent study, recently won his fifth Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for co-inventing the Avid Multicamera System, a technology that has revolutionized the film-making and editing industry.

Read More

College's Division of Workforce Partnerships earns 2024 PACE-RI Academic Partnership Award

College's Division of Workforce Partnerships earns 2024 PACE-RI Academic Partnership Award

December 12, 2024

The Community College of Rhode Island’s Division of Workforce Partnerships has won the 2024 PACE-RI Academic Partnership Award for its work in developing free training programs to help upskill more than 50 employees through online trainings and in-person courses at PACE’s East Providence, RI, headquarters and CCRI’s Providence Campus.

Read More

CCRI Players tackle themes of doubt and uncertainty with final production of fall semester

CCRI Players tackle themes of doubt and uncertainty with final production of fall semester

December 12, 2024

Beginning today, the CCRI Players launch a four-day run of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable, produced by CCRI Performing Arts Professor Luke Sutherland and scheduled for five performances at the college’s Providence Campus Auditorium. Showtimes are 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday with 2 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

Read More

Employee Spotlight: Michael Marrapodi

Employee Spotlight: Michael Marrapodi

November 27, 2024

Michael Marrapodi has joined CCRI as the new Executive Director of Online Learning. He has been involved with education since teaching music at a private school during his senior year of college in 1976 and is now an innovative leader in the online learning sector.

Read More

Second-year Biology student, PTK scholar helps feed the homeless one sandwich at a time

Second-year Biology student, PTK scholar helps feed the homeless one sandwich at a time

November 26, 2024

Eighteen-year-old Rhode Island Promise scholar and Warwick, RI, resident Lucas Johnson revived an old family tradition this past summer with Sandwich Party Sundays – a unique opportunity to spread joy and good cheer to Providence's homeless population each weekend at Kennedy Plaza. 

Read More

Alumni Spotlight: Flavia A. Albert, M.A.

Alumni Spotlight: Flavia A. Albert, M.A.

November 25, 2024

A Providence, RI, native, and Community College of Rhode Island Class of 2011 alumna, Flavia A. Albert, M.A., is on the verge of releasing her first children's book next month to combine her passion for behavioral health and early childhood development with her love for storytelling.

Read More

CCRI announces partnership with Building Futures to deliver new Apprenticeship Readiness program

CCRI announces partnership with Building Futures to deliver new Apprenticeship Readiness program

November 22, 2024

With the support of a $250,000 workforce investment from the RI Department of Labor and Training (RI-DLT), the college will begin offering apprenticeship readiness programming in January through the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), a comprehensive apprenticeship readiness curriculum that delivers an industry-recognized credential.

Read More

Upcoming Events
Jan.
1

Teacher Assistant - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Driver Ed for Teens - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR Courses - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Maritime Electric Boat Programs - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Westerly Education Center (WEC)

Jan.
1

Para-Pro Review Classes and Testing - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Fast Track to CNC Manufacturing - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Liston Campus

Jan.
1

Global Wind Organization - Basic Safety Training - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Flanagan Campus

Jan.
1

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Motorcycle Rider Education - Ongoing Seasonal

January 1, 2025 All Day

Jan.
1

Bridge Program - Ongoing

January 1, 2025 All Day

Liston Campus