Tanya Chance works with SPCC to recruit students and provide hope for Anson’s future.
Contributed photo
POLKTON — Tanya Chance, South Piedmont Community College’s student recruiter and recent social media spotlight, knows just about everything there is to know about getting Anson’s students prepared for higher education.
She started in Anson schools in 2010 as a substitute teacher where she found her passion for teaching. She then went back to school and got her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education and School Leadership, while working full-time as an instructor in Anson High School’s history department.
“I really thank the Lord for the teachers that we do have in Anson County because it’s been a challenge, and especially in rural settings where the resources are so not there as they are in other counties. So we did what we could do with what we had, but a lot of it came from just sheer love for the kids,” Chance said.
But this year she found her other calling as a student recruiter.
“That’s when I realized a lot of kids just needed some inspiration. They needed hope; they needed consistency,” she explained. “They needed someone to know; they needed to feel that someone cared because in my learning and experiences you connect most with people that you feel care about you. And that was my driving force, it continues to be my driving force.”
She now has a bigger platform to reach students in Anson, Union, Richmond, and even Mecklenburg. She tells students everywhere she can about how to get access to “free and appropriate education for all,” helping Anson County create a better future academically and economically. She also works beyond normal business hours and constantly responds to emails and voicemails to assist students in whatever way she can.
“Every day, I’m learning something new and I’m sharing something new and it just makes life more rewarding,” she said. “I love it … I look forward to going to work.”
“I want to be the person to fight for those who ordinarily can’t speak for themselves, or they don’t know that someone is actually there side by side with them to help them move forward in life,” Chance continued.
She also wanted to spread a message to Anson.
“Hope can come in so many ways: do things that you would want someone to do for you and don’t look down on people. Be an encourager or an inspired,” Chance said. “And don’t just talk about it, let’s walk it. Give til it hurts.”
“We are part of a wonderful community,” she added. “To get the word out, one person can’t do it – it’s going to take a village and that’s why I love Anson.”
To talk with Chance, she can be reached at tchance@spcc.edu or 704-272-5462.
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Reach Hannah Barron at 910-817-2668 or hbarron@ansonrecord.com.
