Our Story

Thanks for joining us on this journey!

World Wide Academy Training Services is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide reality-based learning solutions for today’s environments from a distinctly biblical worldview.

Our certified instructors have decades of knowledge & real-life experiences in various areas of instruction in the following:

  • Education (Academic, Business, & Arts)
  • Basic & Advanced Life Support
  • Self Defense
  • Terrorism Awareness
  • Safety & Security

Our classes and trainings are informative and enjoyable as well as reasonably and competitively priced.

Classes & trainings are reasonably & competitively priced.

WWATS educates, trains & releases its students while being available to answer further questions, follow up, and offer refresher courses.


Certified Instructors

Donna Penna- E.D., Founder, Instructor

Hi and welcome to WWATS! Our story is one of years of molding, shaping and transformation! It’s one of trials and testing, perseverance, and patience- with lots of laughter, tears, and blessings along the way!

I grew up knowing I would be a teacher. My journey took me from college to owning my own performing arts school to founding a small, private school in my hometown neighborhood to this present endeavor. What a journey it has been!

My desire is to assist my students in becoming life-long learners. I love teaching! I love when I see my students’ faces light up because THEY have discovered something new or something finally clicked! I see myself as a guide or facilitator helping my students discover the gifts and passions that make them who they are, preparing them to make a difference in their environments and in the earth!

Thurston Gill, Jr. and I started working on the training workshops and classes during the opening of the school I founded and operated in my neighborhood, School of Creative Arts. He spent many hours preparing and imparting valuable knowledge and practice to our students at SOCA. HE is the expert in the Emergency Preparedness, CPR, First Aid (even Pet First Aid!), Safety & Security, and Terrorism Awareness area, while I stick to teaching and administrating academics, arts, business, life coaching!

Thanks for coming along with us! I hope to meet you all some day at one of our trainings either on-site or online!

Don’t forget to check out our blogs:)

Thurston D. Gill, Jr., Instructor Emergency Medical, Emergency Preparedness, Safety & Security

I started my career as an inner-city police officer not realizing my call to ministry. 

I went from law enforcement to various aspects of the security industry: healthcare & campus security, loss prevention, private security contractor and security training & development management. 

I was ordained as a minister over 30 years ago and invested a number of years of my life as a mental health recovery specialist and an intensive case manager. 

I have been blessed with opportunities that enabled me to acquire experiences and skill sets that I enjoy sharing at every opportunity through workshops, groups and other training activities throughout the years.  

Here’s what our clients are saying about us…

“The instructor was fantastic!”

“Very enjoyable…..very easy to remember all the steps/ procedures.  3 hours went very fast!”

“Very informative and personable…the course was fun and enjoyable.”

“A great refresher course, especially in our line of work. Very informative, great tips.”

Nondiscrimination Policy: World Wide Academy Training Services admits students of any race, color, religion, and national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the students attending these trainings. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion and national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational/training policies and administered programs.