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Hanwell helps students adjust to college life
Hanwell loves helping students reach a level where they can succeed in school and in life and the Student Support Center gives her that opportunity. "My first job with new students is getting them to buy in to the fact that education is valuable," said Hanwell. "I want them to know that an education is available and that it is accessible to them in some way." The Student Support Center's mission is to help students succeed in their educational goals. Classes help under-prepared students who need to brush up on their skills in order to start in a curriculum program. The center also offers tutoring and proofreading services, a writing center to help students with papers and projects, and general support when it is needed. "Many students come to us shellshocked, with no self-esteem or confidence in their abilities," says Hanwell. "It's a privilege to meet them where they are and give them a hand up." The nature of the Student Support Center is that students cover a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and Hanwell works hard to find common ground among her students and to get to know them on a personal level. Waiting and guiding them towards that one moment when the light bulb comes on and they suddenly understand is what she lives for. "When they finally get it," she says, "that's my paycheck and the joy of my life." As the first person in her family to go to college, Hanwell knows a little something about how hard it is to get to college in the first place, let alone graduate. She knew early on that she wanted to go to college and decided that if she could just save $1,500, then that would be enough money to allow her to go. "I didn't have a clue," she laughs. But she did save that $1,500. And when she did, she packed all of her belongings in her car and headed off to the University of Florida. It wasn't always easy, but she earned a degree in English then followed that up with a stint at Cambridge University in England, where she studied British Urban Culture and Economics. She also holds a master's degree in Two-Year College Administration from Western Carolina University. "Education is the surest investment I've ever made," she said. Hanwell began her journey into teaching as a substitute, with the purpose of finding which age group she preferred. "I experienced pre-K through 12 and enjoyed teaching 9 through 12 until I ran out of shallow graves," she laughs. "Then, I tried the community college, and I was immediately hooked." Hanwell began teaching at TCCC part time in 1995 and full time in 1999 and loves every minute of it. "In terms of professional satisfaction, I enjoy the level of academic freedom with which we are entrusted," she says. "In terms of personal fulfillment, I feel honored to play a small role in students' journeys to empowerment." She also believes very strongly in the role that TCCC can and does play in the community. "We are a doorway to enlightenment, discovery, cultural and social awareness, and ultimately, empowerment because knowledge is power," she says. "We are in a position to positively impact the area intellectually, socially, psychologically, and economically." A native of Sarasota, Florida, Hanwell describes herself as "a Florida Cracker in the truest sense of the word. My family is about as Southern as you'll find." She's working on chronicling that upbringing in a book of stories from her childhood growing up in the South. She is particularly interested in preserving the regionalisms and dialects that are slipping away in this age of mass media. Her journey to Murphy began when her mother moved here more than 20 years ago. "When we visited, the people, the culture, and the pace, felt like home," she says. "We wanted to live here and become part of this community." Hanwell has one daughter, who is currently at Appalachian State University majoring in Biology and minoring in Dance. She spends her free time reading and says, as book lovers everywhere lament, "Soooo many books, so little time." She recently won a writing award from Townsend Press that was open to developmental reading and writing teachers. She is a member of the Rural Felicity Garland Dancers and also enjoys gardening, traveling, cooking for friends and family, live theatre, storytelling, and writing. But she also loves teaching. She has one overarching goal for the students that she teaches.
"I hope they leave my class knowing how to write," she says, "but more importantly, knowing how to think."
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