Destroying the perception that has plagued our city.
Someone once told me that community college is a loser’s last resort.
I want to destroy this perception in my community and tell others what I found to be true abundantly true. Community college is a vital community resource. It is the oxygen for the dreams of our community. TBR’s community colleges are the solution to many of the problems plaguing our communities. I want everyone to understand the value of education. I am setting an example for others in my community to change their lives via the transformative power of Tennessee’s community colleges.
As a child, I was fascinated with Dr. Martin King Jr. Even as young as seven years old, his compassion for humanity inspired me.
I was very interested in finding solutions to problems and helping others even as a kid. Like Dr. King, serving others has been a central force in my life. What I did not have was the support in my home to achieve my academic goals consistently. My grandmother, who loved and cared for me, was not the most knowledgeable about helping me earn and sustain good grades. Regrettably, I did not complete my high school education.
I eventually completed my GED and decided to come to Chattanooga State more than
two decades later. From the first college class, I knew my purpose was to do for others what was graciously done for me. With every class, I have solidified this objective. At the age of forty-six, I can confidently say that I know why I am on this earth today.
My life has trained me to help women and children with trauma, and I am pursuing a degree in Psychology to do exactly that. Becoming a psychologist is a role I have been preparing for my whole life. As a kid, I had one goal, to take my own life before age twenty-five. I attempted to do this three times from age 12-17.
I am most proud for being unsuccessful at suicide.
Once I was a mother, that changed to living and providing for my daughter. When she became disabled from a car accident, my goal changed to keep my head above water and not give up on my daughter. I never gave up on her, even though many did. I lived for her. I worked a job to provide for her and made a decent living, but all the while, I knew I needed to go to college and get an education so I could help others heal from trauma.
The value of education is more important to me now than ever. It is not easy to maintain
a 4.0 GPA while being active in clubs and campus activities and being a wife, mother, and
woman. It is a real sacrifice to do the work you have been called to do. I see in my community so many areas where psychology clinics and workshops to promote healing are needed. This motivates me to keep going and working hard to achieve my degree.
Currently, I speak to the adult education class for HISET twice a week to tell them my
story. I want them to know I sat in that seat trying to figure it out, and it is okay. I am usually
speaking to younger adults, but one day recently, I had an inspirational encounter. I met Shawn, a 52-year-old man who was so eager to start the process of getting his HISET. After he completes his HISET, he wants to enroll at Chattanooga State to become a nurse and to take the oath to help others in this pandemic.
I had the opportunity to share my journey with him and to inspire him that age is just a
number. I told him he can do it. I told him about my husband who is the exact age of Shawn. He graduated from Chattanooga State and is now at UTC pursuing a degree in Mechatronics. He has been promoted in his job twice since graduating. I love sharing the story of how Chattanooga State has changed my life and the life of my family.
I also help others in my community through my nonprofit called Empowered Connections.
My education gives me exceptional guidance. The connections I am making with my classes are helping me do the work to heal others in my community. I want others in my community to understand the value of education.