|
Challenges both large and small don’t faze Burch. She and her family moved to Northport, Wash., from California in 1984. They were the only Hispanic family in town. “You can imagine what it was like trying to maintain some of our cultural traditions in a community with very few Hispanic resources. My parents taught us to treat problem-solving like it was sort of a game,” Burch recalls.
Her parents also encouraged her to set goals and aim high academically. Not that this was too much of a stretch for Burch. “I loved to learn. I told my parents I wanted to be my high school class valedictorian. They held me to it, and I did it,” she said.
Then life after high school came along.
“I was book smart, but not ‘street smart’,” Theresa said. Instead of starting college right away, she decided to work at the local plywood mill to earn money and get a little “life” experience. “You know how it goes,” she reflects. “The money was good, and I met my husband. We married and started our family. School sort of took a backseat.”
Then, the opportunity to teach an employee safety course at the mill came along and re-kindled Theresa’s long-time dream of going to college. “I discovered I loved to teach. I re-discovered I wanted to go to college,” she said.
With her husband and young family’s support and encouragement, Theresa enrolled at IEL Colville Center, completing her two-year degree in 2009. She graduated with a 3.9 grade point average – and was named to the 34-member All-Washington Academic Team of community and technical college students in March 2009. She also was selected as a Coca-Cola Silver Scholar based on scores earned in a national All-USA Academic Team competition -- one of only six Washington community college students to be honored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.
|