Kristin Cook's Tenacity Pays Off
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/26/2004
CONTACT: LISA GARRETT, 646-1506
(By Lisa Garrett)
PENDLETON ---Kristin Cook used to come home from work feeling defeated
at the end of every day.
 TA
high school dropout and single teenage parent, she was just scraping
by in minimum wage jobs that barely paid the bills. "I had no education,
no career. I didn't see my life going anywhere --- ever," she remembers.
Cook had her first child at age 16 and dropped out of high school.
A year later, she received her GED, but still had no goals. She entered
Tri-County twice and dropped out both times.
Years of hard knocks and financial struggles matured Cook, and at age
24, the single mother of three children, ages 9, 6, and 3, knew an education
was essential for making a better life for her family. For the first
time, she didn't see college as an unattainable goal. Determined to
change her life, she entered Tri-County a third time.
"I realized I can do it this time. I've matured. I take life
seriously, and I feel responsible for raising three kids by myself.
They are the most important things in my life."
Her tenacity has paid off. Since returning to college, she has been
on the Dean's List every semester and is vice president of Alpha Zeta
Beta, the College's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
She also accepted a Woman's Opportunity Award given by the Greenville
chapter of the Soroptomist Club. Her first-place win earned her a much
needed cash award, and she went on to place second on the regional level.
The Soroptomist Club promotes women's development in the community and
makes women aware of scholarships and other opportunities. It’s an award
for someone who has changed her life and her circumstances.
“Kristin is an individual who has taken responsibility for her development,”
said Vinson Burdette, associate dean of Counseling. “Faculty and staff
at Tri-County recognize her determination. The scholarship from the
Soroptimist Club is another indicator of Kristin’s drive to set goals
and take advantage of available resources to reach those goals,” Burdette
adds.
Dr. John Mauer, Kristin's history instructor who recommended that she
apply for the scholarship, says, "Kristin epitomizes the best of
community college students. She is a single parent, raising three children,
going to college, and succeeding admirably."
"College is different this time," said Cook. "I go to
class every day. I have my kids' activities, church, homework, papers,
and projects." The University Transfer major wants to transfer
to Anderson College and to teach high school English. "I want to
help young people open up and express themselves orally or in their
writing," she said.
Although Cook receives a Pell grant and a scholarship, she says the
scholarship money came just in the nick of time. "I desperately
needed a car, and it will supply the deposit for a rental house, allowing
us to get out of government housing," she said. She says she owes
a debt of gratitude to the Women and Children Succeeding program which
pays her day care while she is in school. "If I didn't have that,
I couldn't continue," she said.
"Winning an award makes you feel you're representing something
and makes me want to work harder," she said. "When the Soroptomist
Club put its name behind me and said thanks, it made me want to be a
success story for them. It won't be easy, but I'll get there."
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