Taylor wins Scholarship from TWC and J103
Tennessee Wesleyan College and J103 announced Tina Taylor from Tellico Plains as the winner of the "What a College Education Means to Me" scholarship giveaway. TWC and J103 partnered to give one lucky listener a one-year, full tuition scholarship. The contest was open to any new student at TWC in either the day or evening program, Athens or Knoxville campus.
J103 listeners were invited to submit their essays from February 28 through March 23. Essays were judged by a committee who reached a unanimous decision on Taylor's entry. More than 50 entries were received.
"I am so excited to win," said Taylor. "This is such a blessing from God to be given such a wonderful opportunity at a school with a great education department. I had some wonderful teachers growing up and want to honor those individuals by following in their footsteps."
Taylor was awarded the scholarship at a J103 live remote on TWC's campus, where she was also surprised to learn the scholarship would be extended to her second year at TWC as well. Taylor, a community college transfer, plans to major in education and teach grades K-6.
"Tennessee Wesleyan's mission is to provide the highest quality educational experience and we are pleased to offer this experience to Tina while making her dream come true," said Stan Harrison, TWC interim president. "We are certain she will be an inspiration to our students and many prospective students in our area as she pursues this dream."
In addition to attending community college, Taylor is employed at Insurance Incorporated of Athens. She is also an active member of her church.
Tennessee Wesleyan College, founded in Athens, Tenn., in 1857, is a four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. The College's dedicated faculty and staff believe in providing the resources and support students need to become socially responsible, intellectually skilled and spiritually developed members of our community. For additional information about Tennessee Wesleyan College, visit www.twcnet.edu, become a TWC fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TWCnews.
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Tina Taylor's winning essay is included below.
What does a college education mean to me? For me, it is the chance to finish what I started. Life has a way of throwing you curve balls right when you least expect them. I was in college at Cleveland State Community College in 1998 and had to quit during the pregnancy of my daughter, Kaitlin. She was, and still is, the joy of mine and my husband's life, so when she began to have seizures at 21 months old, my plans to go back to college had to be put on hold. I felt that as a mother, I needed to make a sacrifice with my own personal goals in order to care for my daughter. Kaitlin had these seizures for a year, and by the grace of God, they finally stopped. However at that time I had already taken a job working as a teller at a bank and my dream of going to college had to be put on the back shelf so that I could work and help support my family. Growing up in a family of four children, I am familiar with the word sacrifice. I have a wonderfully loving and supportive family and while we may not have always had the newest things, we did have parents who were willing to take the steps necessary for us to succeed. My mother, a devout Christian, often quoted Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." That definitely has become a verse I live by. I know my own work ethic and drive comes directly from them. They taught me to go after what I want with reckless abandon and not to give up when times get hard. I am truly grateful for these lessons, especially now. I had been content with my career as an insurance agent, but recently I felt that God was leading me in a new direction--and to my surprise, it was back to college. I have been attending Cleveland State since 2010 and maintaining my job at Insurance Incorporated of Athens. While going to school and working is not the ideal situation, I knew it was necessary if I was going to have a chance to fulfill my dream. To me college is a second chance to renew my former goals and to have the career that I always desired. I truly believe that this is what I am supposed to do and even though the circumstances are not what I had planned, I know that it is the perfect time for me to get my degree. So to conclude, college is not just a way to fulfill my goals, but also a way to make a positive difference. Through my life I have learned to be a better daughter, coworker, wife, mother and person. Through my trials and tribulations in life I've learned to be a more understanding person, a more patient individual and a better friend and family member for those I surround myself with. I know that my education is far from over, but I also know that life and education are a journey. I am so excited to continue on my journey and see where this road takes me. Thank you so much for this opportunity.