Miss-Delectable
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http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive4/063006/tp21de21.htm?date=063006&story=tp21de21.htm
Looking into the future, Michelle Kirkland sees herself teaching deaf children how to communicate in American Sign Language.
Looking back seven years, Kirkland remembers when her dream of attending college became a reality. Back then, Kirkland, a sixth-grader, heard about the Take Stock in Children scholarship program sponsored by the South Florida Community College Foundation and she applied to it.
"I didn't think I would get accepted," she said. She was surprised to learn one day before the contract signing that a Take Stock in Children scholarship had been reserved for her. The opportunity guaranteed that she would have the financial support to earn a college degree, and it paired her with Take Stock advocate Debbie Hackney, who counseled her in making the right choices about her education.
Now the Wauchula native is about to see her dream take another step closer to reality. On May 9, during commencement at South Florida Community College, she accepted her associate in arts degree in mass communications. Although she is considering two colleges, she anticipates that by the end of the summer, she will head to Jacksonville to complete her bachelor's degree in deaf education at the University of North Florida.
Kirkland remembers the day she became a Take Stock in Children scholar. She and the other recipients and their parents were invited to a reception at a local tea room, where they signed contracts pledging to graduate from high school, stay out of trouble, and maintain good grades. By meeting those terms, Kirkland was guaranteed to receive a" 2+2" Scholarship, which prepaid the tuition for her to spend two years at a community college earning an associate's degree and two years in a bachelor's degree program at a state college or university.
By May 2005, she was well on her way to claiming her Take Stock scholarship, having graduated from Hardee Senior High School in the top 10 percent of her class. Because she had taken a full course load of college classes at her high school campus during her senior year, she had one year of college behind her.
Her career goals have changed since childhood. Once interested in the legal profession, Kirkland became passionate about deaf education while taking American Sign Language I and II with Nancy Weems, who is also an SFCC sign language instructor.
Kirkland practiced her signing skills by spending two seasons as a deaf interpreter for "The Story of Jesus," an annual spring passion play staged in Wauchula, as well as other events. She discovered that she liked working with children while teaching a Sunday school class for kindergarten through fifth-graders at the Wauchula Worship Center, spending last summer as a camp counselor at the Hardee County Family YMCA and living with three younger cousins.
"It's a job, but it's like playing," Kirkland said of her teaching experiences. "The kids are fun to be around. It's neat to have an impact on their lives."
In addition to her Take Stock scholarship, Kirkland has received other scholarships and grants that have helped pay for books, necessities and a year of housing at SFCC's dormitory in the Hotel Jacaranda. Because she also worked part time during the past year, she has managed to set aside money for future college expenses.
By living at the Hotel Jacaranda, she has gotten a small taste of what it is like to be separated from her aunt and uncle, Peggy and Grant Bonds, who have raised her since she was 14. Although she expects to endure bouts of homesickness once she leaves for the university, she is looking forward to the adventure and to discovering what life has in store for her.
"Without the scholarships, I wouldn't have been able to go to college," Kirkland said. "I'm excited and a little nervous about going away. I'll probably be back someday. I'll definitely be back to be with my family."
Joyce Adams, coordinator of Take Stock in Children for the SFCC Foundation, praised Kirkland for her drive to overcome personal obstacles, her dedication to her education, and her willingness to give back to others.
"She has great faith," Adams said. "She has been a great inspiration to us all. She's a great kid."
Looking into the future, Michelle Kirkland sees herself teaching deaf children how to communicate in American Sign Language.
Looking back seven years, Kirkland remembers when her dream of attending college became a reality. Back then, Kirkland, a sixth-grader, heard about the Take Stock in Children scholarship program sponsored by the South Florida Community College Foundation and she applied to it.
"I didn't think I would get accepted," she said. She was surprised to learn one day before the contract signing that a Take Stock in Children scholarship had been reserved for her. The opportunity guaranteed that she would have the financial support to earn a college degree, and it paired her with Take Stock advocate Debbie Hackney, who counseled her in making the right choices about her education.
Now the Wauchula native is about to see her dream take another step closer to reality. On May 9, during commencement at South Florida Community College, she accepted her associate in arts degree in mass communications. Although she is considering two colleges, she anticipates that by the end of the summer, she will head to Jacksonville to complete her bachelor's degree in deaf education at the University of North Florida.
Kirkland remembers the day she became a Take Stock in Children scholar. She and the other recipients and their parents were invited to a reception at a local tea room, where they signed contracts pledging to graduate from high school, stay out of trouble, and maintain good grades. By meeting those terms, Kirkland was guaranteed to receive a" 2+2" Scholarship, which prepaid the tuition for her to spend two years at a community college earning an associate's degree and two years in a bachelor's degree program at a state college or university.
By May 2005, she was well on her way to claiming her Take Stock scholarship, having graduated from Hardee Senior High School in the top 10 percent of her class. Because she had taken a full course load of college classes at her high school campus during her senior year, she had one year of college behind her.
Her career goals have changed since childhood. Once interested in the legal profession, Kirkland became passionate about deaf education while taking American Sign Language I and II with Nancy Weems, who is also an SFCC sign language instructor.
Kirkland practiced her signing skills by spending two seasons as a deaf interpreter for "The Story of Jesus," an annual spring passion play staged in Wauchula, as well as other events. She discovered that she liked working with children while teaching a Sunday school class for kindergarten through fifth-graders at the Wauchula Worship Center, spending last summer as a camp counselor at the Hardee County Family YMCA and living with three younger cousins.
"It's a job, but it's like playing," Kirkland said of her teaching experiences. "The kids are fun to be around. It's neat to have an impact on their lives."
In addition to her Take Stock scholarship, Kirkland has received other scholarships and grants that have helped pay for books, necessities and a year of housing at SFCC's dormitory in the Hotel Jacaranda. Because she also worked part time during the past year, she has managed to set aside money for future college expenses.
By living at the Hotel Jacaranda, she has gotten a small taste of what it is like to be separated from her aunt and uncle, Peggy and Grant Bonds, who have raised her since she was 14. Although she expects to endure bouts of homesickness once she leaves for the university, she is looking forward to the adventure and to discovering what life has in store for her.
"Without the scholarships, I wouldn't have been able to go to college," Kirkland said. "I'm excited and a little nervous about going away. I'll probably be back someday. I'll definitely be back to be with my family."
Joyce Adams, coordinator of Take Stock in Children for the SFCC Foundation, praised Kirkland for her drive to overcome personal obstacles, her dedication to her education, and her willingness to give back to others.
"She has great faith," Adams said. "She has been a great inspiration to us all. She's a great kid."