A woman who started out as a janitor at a local school has managed to become a teacher after finally earning her degree.
Per TODAY, Wanda Smith worked long hours with two full-time jobs for the Brenham Independent School District in Texas - working from 6:00AM as a bus monitor in the morning and then from 3:00PM to 11:00PM as a janitor in the evenings.
But she always wanted to be a teacher in her own right. So to that end, she spent nine long years attending night school and working towards her dream job.
In the end, her hard work finally paid off. Thirty years after graduating high school, Smith earned her bachelor's degree from Sam Houston State University in 2010.
She then returned to Brenham Elementary School, where she now works as a first-grade teacher.
On Tuesday, May 11, Dr. Alisa White, the president of Sam Houston State, announced that the district will be offering a $500 scholarship in Smith's name in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.
The Wanda Smith Make a Difference Scholarship will now be awarded to any first-generation Sam Houston State student who wants to pursue a career in teaching.
Commenting on her achievement in an interview with TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager, Smith said: "When I stand in front of my classroom, I am living my dream."
Smith also said that the deaths of her mother and sisters hit her hard and that she was ready to give up and quit at one point.
However, at her lowest point, Smith says: "My husband, he sat me down, and he let me know that I wasn't the only one that made sacrifices. And so I was like: 'OK, I can do this. I can keep going'."
As if that wasn't incredible enough, Smith has also been personally delivering packets to the homes of her students during the pandemic while their parents were at work, to help them stay on track with their learning.
The teacher concluded: "I want [my pupils] to love school enough that they want to come and see me every day. And if they love me like that, they're gonna come and see me every day."
Well done, Mrs. Smith!
