’Tis the Season for Favorites!
Ask anybody, and they’ll tell you that it’s impossible to imagine readySC without Wanda Vincent. That’s why we could think of no one more fitting for a “Favorite Things” employee spotlight feature than one of our favorite employees! Check out the amended lyrics to the classic holiday tune below to get to know Wanda. Then keep reading for a lyric breakdown.
Wanda’s Favorite Things
Updating software such as Maximizer
Woods Bay and Texas, Old Faithful, the geyser
Elvis, her pet cat named after the King
These are a few of her favorite things
American hist’ry and Coldplay in concert
Shortened domain names and stamps in her passport
Hot dogs for sale and finance reporting
These are a few of her favorite things
Whompin’ a golf ball and stories ‘bout mascots
Final Four tickets (Come on, Lady Gamecocks!)
Storing old books (should we call it hoarding?)
These are a few of her favorite things
When the planes fly
When the RIFs come
When she’s feeling sad
She simply remembers her favorite things
So then she will feel quite glad
Updating software such as Maximizer
Wanda got her start with readySC (formerly Special Schools) in 1996, alternately moving between the System Office and its Lexington-based support unit, where she worked on inventory management, databases, process reports and form re-building. She remembers early on how a shift from number tags to scan tags made the inventory process more precise and efficient.
Today, those experiences continue to inform her day-to-day duties as she finds solutions and makes systems better for everyone. With Economic Development’s data collection migrating to a new platform every few years, Wanda was particularly helpful with the division’s last transition to Maximizer. Colleagues admit that the customer relationship management tool is “only as good as the information that’s put in,” and for the System, it’s great because Wanda organizes documents, budgets, training plans and Area Director notes so that employees can have the best and most up-to-date information about readySC clients. A monumental task – but only one reason that makes Wanda a readySC favorite!
Woods Bay and Texas, Old Faithful, the geyser
Wanda’s favorite places are close to home and halfway across the continent. She’ll pique your curiosity when she starts talking about Woods Bay, a state park in Olanta, SC. With some of the largest remaining Carolina Bays in the Southeast, Woods Bay is a bit of a mystery. Were these ancient bays formed by underground springs, meteorites or tidal eddies? Regardless, the biodiversity of the place is remarkable, and Wanda knows how to appreciate it.
Texas is another memorable locale for Wanda, as it was the destination of her first discovery trip with readySC. Not only did she visit Vought, an aerospace subcontractor, but she also enjoyed brownies during the fourth quarter of a Dallas Mavericks game and toured the Texas School Book Depository building.
And she especially loves the West! Whether it’s venturing through the Dakota Badlands, marveling at the geysers in Yellowstone or rafting down the Salmon River in Idaho, she says it’s “like another world out there” – and one that she’s quite fond of.
Elvis, her pet cat named after the King
These are a few of her favorite things
Wanda’s trend of naming her cats after singers continued after a visit to Graceland in Memphis, when she brought home Elvis, a tuxedo cat, and Priscilla, a calico. The kitties get along quite well with her dogs Ivy and Storm, and in fact act more like dogs than cats!
American hist’ry and Coldplay in concert
Wanda confesses that her undergraduate degree in history has never helped her with any job, but it did teach her how to think. She recalls reading Death of a President in her youth and being particularly intrigued by the tragic figure of John F. Kennedy.
And Coldplay? The band is her jam. ‘Nuff said.
Shortened domain names and stamps in her passport
With her experience in IT, Wanda remembers installing Office 97 on System Office computers, along with other now-outdated software, such as Lotus, WordPerfect and Eudora. Old domain names used to be ridiculously long (imagine [email protected]), so as Wanda says, “sctechsystem.edu is definitely an improvement.”
And while she’s not much of an international traveler, she does have 46 (soon to be 47) stamps in her passport – her SC State Parks passport, that is. She’ll be visiting Hunting Island later this month, and she enjoys the beautiful scenery and historic interest of places like Calhoun Falls and Hickory Knob.
Hot dogs for sale and finance reporting
These are a few of her favorite things
While Wanda enjoys a good ol’ holiday party at Riverbanks Zoo or Segra Park, she remembers when employee events were a little, well, less spectacular. As a member of the Employee Action Committee in the 90s, she would sell hot dogs for $1 to raise money for seasonal events. She even recalls one Christmas party in which the cost per person was $5.50. They may not have been grand celebrations, but they were still fun times with good people and good food.
As a Project Controls Manager, Wanda’s duties today include a little bit of everything, from managing applications to process improvement. But her favorite task? Financial reporting. Though she may have a love-hate relationship with math (no word problems for her, please!), she likes correcting errors and making numbers balance. (A throwback to her post-high school days working for an accountant, perhaps?)
Whompin’ a golf ball and stories ’bout mascots
Characteristically modest, Wanda describes her golf game as “fair to middlin’.” With a handicap of 15 and breaking 80 strokes on an 18-hole golf course a few times, we’d prefer to call her “awesome!” She strives to play once a week, and her longest drive and fiercest hit earned her the title “Whompin’ Wanda.”
Wanda recalls the era of CATT, the Center for Accelerated Technology Training, with amusement. While she admits that readySC is a much better name for an economic development division than a feline-sounding acronym, she does refer to the bronze statue that served as mascot with affection. From decorating it with Christmas lights to building a proper coffin for its burial, making fun of CATT seemed to be people’s way of embracing it.
Final Four tickets (Come on, Lady Gamecocks!)
As a USC alumnus and with parents who were Carolina fans, it’s no surprise that Wanda is a Gamecock through and through. And while football may leave a little – okay, maybe a lot – to be desired, she already has tickets for the 2022 Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis. Now that’s a true fan!
Storing old books (should we call it hoarding?)
These are a few of her favorite things
There’s nothing too unusual about Wanda’s workspace… unless you look under the desk. That’s where she keeps her collection of all things readySC history. From mementos left behind by retirees to reports from the 70s, she’s got a little bit of everything under there.
When the planes fly
We couldn’t help but notice a familiar thread throughout Wanda’s interview. She is not a fan of flying! On her first return flight, she describes the airplane as “slamming into the ground” when it landed in Columbia, and a later experience in a six-person puddle-jumper that flew over mountains and landed on a dirt strip left an indelible (read: not pleasant) memory. That’s why, though she already has Final Four tickets and reserved accommodations, she hasn’t yet purchased plane tickets. “As soon as I buy them,” she says, “I’ll be nervous until I actually go on the trip.”
When the RIFs come
Remember the Great Recession of 2008? Wanda does. She also remembers the reductions in force that came with it. It was strange and sad and overwhelming all at once. To see so many employees have to leave was difficult, but she is grateful that the System has not experienced anything like that since.
When she’s feeling sad
She simply remembers her favorite things
So then she will feel quite glad
This holiday season, amid so many wonderful reasons to rejoice, Wanda Vincent is at the top of our list. Thank you, Wanda, for being you!