Tacoma Community College student JoAnne Thaves, of Parkland, is one of five students nationwide to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Thaves came to TCC three years ago after her husband’s death. Suddenly a single parent to a daughter, now 12, she saw her circumstances as an opportunity to go back to school full time. “After I got over my anxiety about being the oldest student in class, I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I’m not the oldest. I have a peer relationship with younger students, and we help each other.
“I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from college,” Thaves said. “I know I can do it. Coming to TCC has been a very positive experience. I’m being a good role model for my daughter, and I’ve gained leadership skills I didn’t know I had.”

Thaves learned of the NACCTEP scholarship through TCC’s Teachers of Tomorrow Club. She was chosen based on her financial need, her interest in teaching and her long-term goals.

“I was overwhelmed when I found out I’d been selected,” Thaves said. “It’s not just about the money; it’s about being one of five in the nation.”

Upon graduating from TCC this spring, Thaves, who worked in child care for more than 20 years, plans to transfer to Pacific Lutheran University and earn a bachelor’s degree in special education with a life sciences minor. She intends to teach middle school for awhile and then return to school for her master’s degree. Her goal is to advocate for special needs children.

“I’ve always been a teacher, and there’s inner joy in that, with special needs children in particular,” Thaves said. “To see beyond what others see and see what they’re capable of — I seem to have a natural gift to bring that out. Children are the beginning of our future, and I want to be part of guiding them to succeed.”

Thaves is president of TCC’s Teachers of Tomorrow Club, vice president of service for TCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter, a tutor and a student senator. She has also attended a Student Washington Education Association leadership conference.

The NACCTEP Scholarship Program provides financial support to students studying to become teachers and attending NACCTEP member institutions. NACCTEP is committed to promoting the community college role in teacher preparation.

Thaves will attend NACCTEP’s fourth annual conference March 17-19 in Atlanta, Ga., where scholarship recipients will be acknowledged.