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Featured photo: Mike Bailey in the Patton Building on the Henderson County Campus.
By Emily Gill, Marketing & Communications Dept.
When Mike Bailey retired from the U.S. Army, he knew he wasn’t quite finished serving. He found a new career at West Henderson High School, teaching Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and guiding students toward lives of leadership, responsibility, and purpose. But to continue in that role, he needed one more credential—an associate degree.
“I’ve always enjoyed teaching,” Mike said. “In the last few years of my military career, I was an instructor pilot, so I was able to take the experience that I had gained and give it back, especially all of the things that sometimes you have to learn the hard way. It’s great to be able to make people more effective and efficient and teach them those things up front, to teach them from our successes and our failures.”
Mike began taking general education courses at Blue Ridge Community College in early 2022. He appreciated the flexibility of online and hybrid classes, which allowed him to continue teaching full-time while working toward his degree.
“The instructors understand people like me are also working adults,” he said. “Between the flexible schedule and the support—especially with financial aid and veterans services—it was really the best situation I could ask for.”
Though his career path has taken many turns—from the Marine Corps, to law enforcement, to the Army, and now education—his goal remains the same: making an impact.
“I love interacting with young people. You never know when one comment or a kind word might change a student’s entire day—or even the direction of their life,” he said.
Mike plans to keep teaching JROTC for years to come, continuing to serve the students and make a difference.
According to Military Friendly®, an organization that assesses military and veteran services through data and surveys, Blue Ridge Community College is a Military-Friendly School for 2025-2026. Learn more about veterans services at www.blueridge.edu/veterans.